(photo for illustration: chinhphu.vn)

Vietnam will host the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting for the first time in Hanoi from September 15-19, providing an opportunity for the country to strengthen its cooperation with international partners in the field.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long made the announcement during a press conference in Hanoi on September 11.

Some 200 representatives of ASEAN member states, ASEAN+3 (Japan, China and the Republic of Korea), the ASEAN Secretariat, and the United Nations, amongst others, will participate in the meeting that will discuss better healthcare in ASEAN from 2015 onwards.

Measures to address non-contagious diseases and enhance multi-sectoral cooperation on infectious diseases are top of the agenda for the plenary sessions.

Sustainable financing options for combating HIV/AIDS and new contagious diseases, increasing health insurance coverage, and policy responses to aging will be addressed during four sideline meetings.

The event provides a chance for Vietnam to increase its standing in the region and present the achievements it made in the health sector, Deputy Minister Long said.

The event is held once every two years on a rotational basis.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.  

Source: VNA