| Abdul Hakiim Yakof |
THE 6th Asean-China Health Ministers Meeting was opened by the Minister of Health, Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Zulkarnain bin Haji Hanafi at the Musyawarah Hall of the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday.
The minister in his opening remarks said this year marks the 26th year of Asean-China dialogue relations and the health sector has benefited immensely from the partnership.
“This partnership has been cemented through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Health Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) established in 2012. Through this MoU, we have a firm foundation for a strategic partnership based on principles of good friendship and mutual cooperation on our areas of common interest.”
He said their continued collaboration is testament to the importance their countries place on health and recognising that value of health capital exceeds other forms of capital.
“We strongly believe that developing and maintaining the vitality of health systems in the region and promoting regional cooperation in health, not only will enhance people’s health but add a vital contribution to economic and social development in our region.
“For this to happen more effectively, we need to transform our conceptualisation of health and healthcare from a 20th Century model where the government is the provider of healthcare, to a 21st Century world where we empower people to become active healthcare citizens.
“One key tool we can harness in this approach is technology use. It (technology) enables people to have data and information in making informed health choices and can empower them to better manage their healthcare and treatment. Although the potential is obvious, many of us are still learning how we can best operationalise and make use of these new tools in the interests of human health and wellbeing. Therefore, look forward to the roundtable discussion later where we may learn and share our experiences.”
The minister expressed his hope that they will have a productive and fruitful meeting ahead as their discussion will build on the excellent partnership work being undertaken, and that they can continue with the momentum and drive to make the real change they need.
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