Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan attended the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting and related meetings. (Source: VNA)

At the invitation of Lao Minister of Health Bounfeng Phoummalaysith - chair of the 2024 ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan attended the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting and related meetings held in Vientiane from August 7-9.

Laos is taking on the role of ASEAN Chair 2024, with the theme "ASEAN: Strengthening Connectivity and Resilience". Regarding the content of "Strengthening Resilience", there are 5 priorities including Building strategic plans to implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045; Strengthening ASEAN's central role; Promoting environmental cooperation: Climate - Resilience to change; Women and children: Promoting the role of women and children - Towards behavioral change in ASEAN and Health: Transforming ASEAN - Resilience for health development in the new context.

As part of the overall orientation of Laos’ ASEAN Chairmanship year, the above-mentioned priority on health is also the overarching theme of the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings. With the theme “Transforming ASEAN Health Development in the New Context”, the aim is to review lessons learned and corresponding actions based on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other public health threats that have increased the vulnerability of the health systems of ASEAN member countries and deeply affected socio-economic development.

Minister Dao Hong Lan is the only female ASEAN Minister of Health to attend the Conference. Together with the Health Ministers of ASEAN member countries, Minister Dao Hong Lan attended and spoke at the sessions on Building ASEAN Health Priorities after 2025.

At these meetings, Minister Dao Hong Lan made important proposals such as promoting the health policy framework and health management system; enhancing the resilience and preparedness of the health system to respond to future public health emergencies; building a sustainable financial mechanism for the health sector to meet the increasing demand for quality health services; applying high technology and digital transformation in health to increase access to health services.

At the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting, Minister Dao Hong Lan delivered an important speech emphasizing strengthening the region's post-pandemic health system through increasing public health preparedness; improving access to essential health care services; investing in health infrastructure and technology; and regional cooperation and solidarity.

Attending the 10th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers' Meeting with the theme "Enhancing ASEAN health security" through digital innovation for cross-border health emergencies in the new post-pandemic context, Minister Dao Hong Lan proposed promoting cooperation opportunities to upgrade, integrate, and link information technology systems along with the application of artificial intelligence in disease prevention and management to better protect people's health and ensure health security.

At the 2nd ASEAN-Korea Health Ministers' Meeting on Digital Transformation in Healthcare, Minister Dao Hong Lan delivered a speech focusing on promoting cooperation and coordination mechanisms between ASEAN countries and Korea on digital healthcare, including support for medical examination and treatment; online training; timely information sharing, coordination in disease response, etc.

The 9th ASEAN-China Health Ministers' Meeting with the theme: Strengthening the health system and access to health services, Minister Dao Hong Lan shared about Vietnam's health system and proposed ASEAN's direction to achieve this goal, such as developing the health system requires new directions such as transparency, accountability, resilience and sustainability, flexible adaptation, efficiency in the new situation, developing and innovating the health system must aim at universal coverage, paying attention to all aspects of the population, focusing on scientific research, applying high technology in disease prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment, research and development of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, etc.

At the ASEAN-US Special Health Ministers' Meeting with the theme "Improving Health and Optimizing Welfare in the ASEAN Region", Minister Dao Hong Lan emphasized the strengthening of the social welfare system including the following key aspects: Comprehensive social protection, sustainable funding, community empowerment through social services; integrating health and social services is an important strategy to improve overall well-being and address the complex needs of individuals and communities.

According to the agenda, Minister Dao Hong Lan and the delegation attended the 2nd ASEAN Health Finance Ministers' Meeting to discuss coordination between the two sectors and the establishment of the ASEAN Health Finance Cooperation Working Group.

At the end of the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting and related meetings, leaders of the Health Ministries of ASEAN, ASEAN+3, Korea, China, and the US adopted the Joint Statements of the Meeting.

In addition, Minister Dao Hong Lan met and discussed with Mr. Saia Ma'u Piukala, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region to discuss increasing WHO support for ASEAN, including Vietnam.

During the working trip, the Minister also had a bilateral meeting on the sidelines with Mr. Hamachi Masakazu, Deputy Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, to promote bilateral health cooperation and Japan's support for the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED). At the meeting, the Minister highly appreciated the Japanese Government's support for the Vietnamese health sector in recent times, such as the project to prevent viral hepatitis, the project to upgrade medical equipment for K Hospital, etc.