The meeting with the President is part of an exiting four day program in Chile for rector Ottersen. As previous chair of The Lancet - UiO Commission, Ottersen was invited to come to Santiago by the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC ), Mrs Alicia I. Barcena. Barcena is member of the Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health, recently established by the University of Oslo in collaboration with The Lancet.
While in Chile, Ottersen will present the findings of the Commission report on The Political Origins of Health Inequities which have been very positively received in many Latin American countries. Both Chile's President, Michelle Bachelet and the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, Alicia Barcena, have proved themselves to be strong advocates for more inclusive and rights based health services, as exemplified by their publications in The Lancet Series on Universal Health Coverage in Latin America.
Rector Ottersen will also meet with, among others, the President of the Health Commission of Senate, Mr Guido Giradi, Chile's Minister of Health, Mrs Carmen Castillo, Rector of the University of Chile, Mr Ennio Vivaldi, and the Ambassador of Norway in Chile, Mrs Hege Araldsen.
The visit will take place 21 - 25 March 2015.