HHS Assistant Secretary for Health John Agwunobi Welcomes Belgian Health Minister Rudy Demotte

HHS Assistant Secretary for Health ADM John Agwunobi, M.D., meets with the Belgian delegation led by Belgian Health Minister Rudy Demotte.

February 7, 2007 – U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral John O. Agwunobi welcomed the Honorable Rudy Demotte, Minister of Social Affairs, Public Health and the Environment of the Kingdom of Belgium, and his delegation to the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) on February 6, 2007. The HHS Acting Surgeon General, RADM Kenneth Moritsugu; the HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, RADM Craig Vanderwagen; and the Director of the HHS National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Honorable Elias Zerhouni, M.D., joined ADM Agwunobi in expressing interest in sharing strategies on containing health-care costs, supporting aging populations, promoting biomedical research and innovation, and preparing for a possible pandemic influenza.

Minister Demotte introduced Mr. Piet Vanthemsche, head of the new Belgian L'Agence Fédérale des Médicaments et des Produits de Santé (AFMPS), established on January 1, 2007. AFMPS has replaced the Directorate-General of Medicines of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Public Health, but it remains under the purview of the Minister.

During their two-day visit to Washington, D.C., the delegation met with RADM Vanderwagen to discuss strategies for pandemic-influenza preparedness, and with the Commissioner of the HHS Food and Drug Administration, the Honorable Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., to discuss information-sharing on food- and drug-safety issues. Minister Demotte’s delegation also shared information on the Belgian Government’s drug-pricing policies and health-care programs with the Acting Deputy Administrator of the HHS Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Mr. Herb Kuhn. HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell shared with the Belgian delegation the programs of assistance offered through the HHS Administration on Aging, and the Director of the HHS/NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, spoke about the Institute’s programs and priorities, particularly AIDS and influenza.

Last revised: August 23, 2007