The Health departments of the Philippines and Malaysia recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate further on the advancement of the health sector in the two countries.
Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III, who represented the Philippines, and Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Malaysia’s Minister of Health, met in Putrajaya, Malaysia and discussed strengthening of the two countries’ bilateral ties through collaborative activities for health care.
Under the MOU, both countries agreed to collaborate in the areas of primary health care, reproductive health, health education, human resources for health development, nutrition, exchange of information on issues related to food safety and quality including but not limited to rapid alert systems related to imported products, prevention and control of communicable diseases, prevention and control of non-communicable disease, regulatory control of pharmaceuticals, traditional medicines, herbal medicine, health supplements and cosmetic products, medical devices; health tourism, health researches and health care services.
The Philippines and Malaysia emphasized the importance of advancing collaboration to address cross-border health concerns amid the rapidly changing global environment, officials said Friday.
This collaboration is crucial to rapidly respond to public health threats and prevent greater health risks including epidemics, microbial resistance, among others.
They also reaffirmed their commitment to support each other in joint activities, such as port-to-port collaboration on health care and vaccination program for children in Alternative Learning Centers, as part of efforts to help realize Universal Health Care under ASEAN.
“We both hope that the outcome of this meeting will further strengthen the ties and cooperation in the management of cross-border issues relating to the health of both our countries and across various stakeholders, “ said Duque.
“We look forward to a lasting collaboration between both countries in tackling and resolving health issues,” he added.