VN attends 10th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting

VGP - Minister of Health Nguyễn Quốc Triệu led the Vietnamese delegation to the 10th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, the 4th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Meeting, and the 3rd ASEAN-China Health Ministers Meeting in Singapore from July 21-24.

July 25, 2010 6:21 PM GMT+7

Vietnamese Minister of Health Nguyễn Quốc Triệu

At the 10^th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting on July 22, Mr. Triệu highlighted Việt Nam’s healthcare achievements such as the expansion of healthcare networks, especially those at grassroots level, containment of dangerous diseases and epidemics, diversification of healthcare services, stronger application of new technologies, and supply of medicines and medical equipment.

The Vietnamese delegation proposed June 15 as the ASEAN Anti-Dengue Fever Day to strengthen political commitment and community participation in combating the disease.

At the meeting, ASEAN health ministers adopted the ASEAN strategic frame on healthcare development in the 201-2015 period to implement 54 healthcare-related activities. They also approved the meeting’s joint communiqué themed “Healthy People, Healthy ASEAN.”

At the 4^th ASEAN 3 Health Ministers Meeting between 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the ministers agreed to forge regional cooperation, including reviewing current cooperative activities, and building up future cooperative frames and plans.

At the 3^rd ASEAN-China Health Ministers Meeting, the delegates agreed to prioritize cooperation between ASEAN and China on traditional medicine, realization of MDGs, prevention and fight of infectious and non-infectious diseases, management of first aid systems, establishment of health risk forecast centers, and sharing of health risk information.

Mr. Triệu shared information about using traditional medicines in Việt Nam and proposed ASEAN countries focus on traditional medicine and its use in healthcare systems.

At a retreat meeting on July 22, ASEAN health ministers discussed A/H1N1 flu outbreaks and the participation of the East Asia Summit in healthcare systems. They also proposed the World Health Organization review A/H1N1 situations around the world, and consider lowering the alert warning level and using vaccines against the disease.

The Vietnamese delegation proposed ASEAN members continue to closely monitor flu virus transmission and mutation, and strengthen the sharing of information about A/H1N1 and H5N1 flu viruses, and other emerging diseases, especially those transmitted via animals.

By Ngọc Vân