Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh delivers the opening speech of the exercise on May 27 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - An online table-top exercise (TTX) on COVID-19 response among ASEANmember states’ military medicine forces was held on May 27, chaired by the VietnameseDefence Ministry’s Military Medical Department.
The exercise attractedthe participation of observers, representatives from the Ministries of Defenceand Foreign Affairs of ASEAN member states, representatives from the ASEANCoordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHACentre), and delegates from the military medicine forces of China, India,Japan, the US, Australia, Russia, and the Republic of Korea.
The TTX aimed atassessing the experience of ASEAN states’ military medicine forces in responseto the pandemic, defining the relationship between the military medicine forceand other forces in this fight, and analysing any shortcomings based on theWorld Health Organisation’s Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), soas to build a joint plan of action to increase ASEAN readiness.
Deputy Minister ofDefence, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, thanked the DefenceMinistries of ASEAN member states and ASEAN+ countries for coordinating withand supporting Vietnam in different forms during the fight against COVID-19.
As the Chair ofASEAN in 2020, he went on, Vietnam hopes the exercise will benefit all participatingcountries and others involved, especially in regard to military medicine.
He hopes thatASEAN+ countries will work with and help their ASEAN partners to defeat thedisease and overcome all difficulties it may cause.
Participants atthe TTX discussed how to deal with each country’s possible circumstances. Threescenarios were developed, including detecting a new infection, detecting alarge number of new cases, and community transmission/pandemic.
Delegates alsoexchanged opinions on the risk of the disease spreading within ASEAN memberstates’ military medicine forces, and the risk of the health systems’ becoming overloaded./.
VNA
