Dr Hajah Maslina binti Haji Mohsin, Deputy
Permanent Secretary (Professional) at the Ministry of Health chairing the 11th
Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development.
IN AN
effort to strive for greater health coverage and addressing issues across the
region, some 100 senior health officials from the Asean member countries,
China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are currently in the country to discuss
health-related issues and cooperation in the 11th Senior Officials Meeting on
Health Development (SOMHD), held from August 9-11.
A press
release from the Ministry of Health (MoH) stated that the SOMHD meetings are
held annually and aim to assess the implementation of the mission outlined in
previous SOMHD meetings. It also focusses on implementing activities,
commitments and joint statements that is to be highlighted at the Asean Health
Ministers Meeting (AHMM), which is held every two years.
The 11th
SOMHD Meeting yesterday commenced with the handing over of the chairmanship
from Vietnam to Brunei Darussalam who will be the host country for the 2017
AHMM.
In an
opening statement, Dr Hajah Maslina binti Haji Mohsin, Deputy Permanent
Secretary (Professional) at the MoH stressed upon the need for the countries
involved to continue working together to address health-related challenges
faced by the region, and to ensure the outcome of the SOMHD meeting are in line
with the Asean Health Development Agendas in 2015 and the UN Sustainable
Development Goals.
In the
speech she highlighted that, as a region, “we have made rapid improvements to
the health and wellbeing of our people” but that “despite this, we continue to
face challenge”.
“The
dramatic rise in non-communicable diseases in particular has become an emerging
threat in our region.”
The SOMHD
meeting centres on discussing health agendas concerning the Asean region and
its planned activities towards achieving the objectives of the Asean
Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint agreed by the Asean leaders.
She said
that as a group, the member countries of the meeting have been taking stock of
the region’s progress, and through the Post-2015 Health Development Agenda, the
region has identified a way forward to meet new challenges which have emerged.
“Today,
knowledge of the essential requirements needed to improve and promote health
and to control and eradicate diseases is not lacking.
“However,
operationalising these principles into a successful integrated programme that
is well-resourced, multi-sectoral, sustainable and has the cooperation of the
public calls for innovative approaches, particularly at a time when financial
resources are stretched and the funding pool becomes more limited,” she said.
This
year’s SOMHD meeting will discuss four main agendas: Promoting healthy
lifestyles, responding to all hazards and emerging threats, strengthening
health systems and access to care and ensuring food safety.
The MoH,
in its press release, said these discussions are highly relevant for the
country as it is well-aligned and strongly supports its three strategic
priorities, namely: Inculcating the message of ‘health is everyone’s business’,
prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, and to deliver excellence
through consolidation and realignment of healthcare services in the country.
The
ministry further said that Brunei Darussalam will play an important role within
the next two years in steering the SOMHD meeting towards valuable outcomes that
improve the health and wellbeing of all in the country and region.
“Let us
not waste this opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the 625
million people living in this region,” she concluded.
Meanwhile,
a working dinner held on Monday at The Rizqun International Hotel was attended
by the meeting’s heads of delegation to discuss and assess the issues that will
be highlighted in the 11th SOMHD Meeting.
Azaraimy
HH
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