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Joint Communique of The Second ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting
Manila, 22-24 July 1980 |
- The second meeting of the ASEAN Health Ministers was held in Manila, Philippines, on 22 - 24 July 1980. The meeting was formally opened by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency, Ferdinand E. Marcos.
- The meeting was attended by Hon Suwardjono Surjaningrat, Minister of Health of Indonesia; Hon. Tan Sri Chong Hon Nyan, Minister of Health of Malaysia; Hon. Toh Chin Chye, Minister of Health of Singapore; Hon. Enrique M. Garcia, Minister of Health, Republic of the Philippines, and their respective delegations.
- Hon. Narciso G. Reyes, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat and Mr. Sarawudh Kongsiri, Director of Social and CuItural Affairs Bureau of the ASEAN Secretariat were also in attendance.
- The President of the Republic of the Philippines, His Excellency Ferdinand E. Marcos in his opening address pointed out that health is the very fundamental foundation for any kind of nation. He also pointed out that while there has been enthusiastic cooperation in the areas of economic development and political stability, the equally critical subject of health has been comparatively neglected with far-reaching and wide-ranging implications.
- The President noted that the meeting in Manila expressed the common concern of the Filipino people in Joining hands with their ASEAN brothers to meet in fighting diseases that often strike terror amongst the people in the region.
- The President pointed out the issues that the entire ASEAN community must confront and resolve; these are, food and nutrition, communicable diseases, environmental sanitation, health care delivery, and population control.
- Stress should also be given to population growth which is not just a socio-economic problem, but a health problem as well, and therefore should be treated with equal weight and priority. Attention should also be focused on the need for a common mechanism for the surveillance of communicable diseases from one ASEAN country to another. Primary Health care technologies and delivery system that would assist us in combatting pollution, alcoholism, drug abuse and other ailments should also be considered.
- The President proposed that a region-wide health information system should be developed and consequently standardize the promotion procurement ad distribution of pharmaceuticals and biologicals. He added that joint activities must be undertaken to encourage and support research activities in health services, health management disease prevention and control disease ecology.
- In conclusion, the President emphasized that a collaboration of this sort would result in collective self-reliance in solving health problems that may arise in the future.
- In their opening statements, the ASEAN 'Health Ministers stressed the importance of adopting the following for health collaboration among the ASEAN countries:
1. Ensure that collaboration contributes directly or indirectly towards regional self-reliance and self-determination.
2. Emphasize health as an integral part of the overall socio-eonomic development.
3. Aim at making health care accessible to the total population, with priority being given to the under-served and depressed areas.
4. Promote Health Manpower Development consistent with the needs of the ASEAN member countries.
5. Continue with international collaboration in health while striving to be self-reliant in the delivery of health services.
6. Emphasize primary health care in the overall health development strategy.
- To carry out these guidelines the Health Ministers identified and agreed to pursue the following strategies for collaboration;
- Collaboration in specific areas will be initiated or strengthened by countries which possess the potential for contribution.
- Collaboration will include:
a) exchange of information, experiences and expertise in health development
b) strengthening planning and management of health manpower development and training
c) collaborative research
d) identification of specific regional projects
- Collaboration will be facilitated by a review of present joint activities and the relationship with the Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Health
- Collaboration will also be facilitated by the development of a formal mechanism within the ASEAN structure.
- The Meeting took note and discussed the relationships of on-going health projects and activities in the ASEAN region particularly in pharmaceuticals, food and nutrition, drug abuse, population control and family planning and health manpower development.
- The Meeting likewise discussed future possible areas of collaboration in the fields of primary health care, health manpower development, communicable disease control, environmental health, health information system, and research.
Collaboration in each of these programme areas can include service programmes activities and collaborative research.
- Based on the guidelines and strategic concerning identified areas of possible collaboration, the meeting drew up and adopted a Declaration of ASEAN Ministers of Health on Collaboration in Health as a basis for future regional collaboration in the ASEAN region. The Declaration also called for the development of a formal mechanism within the ASEAN structure to carry out the various ASEAN health programmes and activities.
- The Meeting agreed that the primary role of the Health Ministers is to formulate guidelines and strategies as well as identify priority areas of collaboration in health matters which will be implemented by existing bodies in the ASEAN structure.
- The Meeting further agreed to exert greater efforts towards increased and accelerated activities in the field of health in order to improve the status of health of the ASEAN countries.
- The Ministers of Health expressed their sincere appreciation to the Government and the people of the Republic of the Philippines for the warm and generous hospitality accorded them and for the excellent facilities provided and efficient arrangement for the Second ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, which was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity.
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