Philippines, Malaysia forge pact to bolster cooperation on health programs

MANILA, Philippines — The Health Departments of the Philippines and Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen their collaboration on the advancement of the health sector.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and YB Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly bin Ahmad, Minister of Health from Malaysia met in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Wednesday, July 31, to discuss the strengthening of the two countries’ bilateral ties through collaborative activities for healthcare.

In a statement Friday, DOH said that among the areas both countries agreed to collaborate on were primary healthcare; reproductive health; health education; human resources for health development; nutrition; and exchange of information on issues related to food safety and quality including but not limited to rapid alert systems related to imported products.

They also agreed to collaborate on the 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 healthcare services.

“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

Further, the Philippines and Malaysia emphasized the importance of advancing collaboration “to address cross-border health concerns amidst the rapidly changing global environment,” according to DOH.

“This collaboration between the neighboring countries is crucial to rapidly respond to public health threats and prevent greater health risks including epidemics, microbial resistance, among others,” it added. /kga