At the event (Source: VNA) Within the framework of the APECfirst Senior Officials’ Meeting, the event attracted more than 150 delegates,including senior health officials from 21 APEC member economies, the WorldHealth Organisation, the United Nations Population Fund, the Association ofPacific Rim Universities and representatives from related APEC forums.
Participants lauded the theme andpriorities proposed by Vietnam at the event.
Accordingly, Vietnam suggested thetheme of enhancing the medical system towards universal health coverage andsustainable development and five priorities, including updating the progress ofuniversal health coverage, intensifying the fight against emerging epidemicdiseases and antibiotic resistance, strengthening the prevention ofnon-communicable diseases and health of the elderly, ensuring sustainablefinancial mechanism to develop health care, and placing health care in everypolicy and reinforcing multi-sectoral cooperation.
Director of the Health Ministry’sInternational Cooperation Department Nguyen Thi Giang Huong, who is also VicePresident of the APEC Health Working Group 2017, shared Vietnamese healthsector’s experience, achievements, challenges and orientations for comingyears.
Vietnam targets achieving healthinsurance coverage for the whole population by 2020 and cutting check-up andtreatment cost to 42 percent from 54 percent, she said.
She also took the occasion tocall for closer cooperation among member economies, ministries, agencies andthe entire society to strengthen the health system and achieve universal healthcoverage for the goal of the Healthy Asia-Pacific 2020 to accomplish the 2030Sustainable Development Goals.
Delegates spoke highly of theoutcomes of the “Healthy Asia-Pacific” Roadmap in the region.
The meeting set four major tasks,including fulfilling the Millennial Development Goals in line with post-2015development programme, strengthening prevention and control of non-communicablediseases, enhancing the health system in support of universal health coverageand promoting response to emergency cases.
The meeting also approved theestablishment of the APEC Core Group to address challenges and successfullyrealise the “Healthy Asia-Pacific” Roadmap with the involvement of Vietnam,Peru, Australia, China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.-VNA
VNA
