Brunei Darussalam welcomed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) support for health innovation in the region, as well as the development of a regional framework to develop the Western Pacific’s health workforce at the 74th WHO Regional Committee Meeting for the Western Pacific region.
The meeting in Manila, Philippines, which ends today, saw health ministers and representatives from 37 WHO member countries in the region discuss health issues, policies, programmes and regional direction for WHO.
During the meeting, Brunei Darussalam welcomed WHO’s support for health innovation, particularly in enhancing capacity building and facilitating innovation implementation, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).
“Brunei Darussalam has established an ecosystem where innovation and technology shape future healthcare delivery, recognising the potential of artificial intelligence-assisted point-of-care diagnostics, wearable health devices, digital therapeutics, and genomics in improving the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services,” said the ministry.
The country also welcomed the development of a regional framework to shape a health workforce for the future of the Western Pacific region, involving other stakeholders, including academia and human resources experts, to ensure that non-health sector stakeholders understand the evolving and dynamic nature of health education and training to maintain a healthcare system with an adequate, qualified and highly-skilled workforce.
Brunei Darussalam also highlighted the priority of health security preparedness at both national and global levels and appreciated the efforts of the WHO in supporting member-led processes to review the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and negotiate a new global pandemic convention.
The nation also supports the preparation of a new Asia-Pacific Health Framework, with emphasis on involving non-health sectors and other stakeholders.
Brunei Darussalam’s delegation to the regional meeting, comprising senior MoH officials, is led by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar.
The minister was appointed as the Chairman of the Regional Committee Meeting by the member countries, while Acting Secretary of State and Director of the Department of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Internal Audit at the Ministry of Health of Mongolia Dr Sovd Tugsdelger was the Vice Chairman.
On the sidelines, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham also held bilateral discussions with Vietnamese Minister of Health Hong Lan. – Adib Noor
