THE health departments of the Philippines and Malaysia have agreed to strengthen bilateral ties through collaborative activities for health care.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and YB Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Malaysian minister of health, met in Putrajaya on July 31, to discuss further collaboration in advancing the health sector in their countries through a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
“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, and we look forward to a lasting collaboration between both countries in tackling and resolving health issues,” Duque said.
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 noncommunicable diseases; regulatory control of pharmaceuticals; traditional medicines, herbal medicine, health supplements and cosmetic products; medical devices; health tourism; health researches; and healthcare services.
The Philippines and Malaysia emphasized the importance of advancing collaboration to address cross-border health concerns, amid the rapidly changing global environment.
This collaboration between the neighboring countries is crucial to rapidly respond to public-health threats and prevent greater health risks, including epidemics and microbial resistance, among others.
They also affirmed their commitment to support each other in joint activities, such as port-to-port collaboration on health care and vaccination programs for children in Alternative Learnings Centers, as part of efforts to help realize Universal Health Care under Asean.