ASEAN leaders convene in Special Ministerial Conference to shape resilient healthcare systems through regional collaboration

Today, EVYD Knowledge Hub by EVYD Technology announces the launch of the Special Ministerial Conference for ASEAN Digital Public Health, themed “Collaborate for a Happier and Healthier World Post Pandemic”, on 6th to 7th October 2021. Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economy in Brunei Darussalam, Ministry of Health in Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Investment Agency and Temasek Foundation, the conference highlights the urgency for ASEAN leaders to collaborate and strategize viable and sustainable solutions to build resilient healthcare systems that can withstand the challenges ahead.

COVID-19 and the Delta variant outbreak have exposed vulnerabilities in global healthcare systems, reinforcing the need for regional collaboration in navigating a pandemic of this scale. According to the Institute of International Finance (IIF)^[1], renewed lockdowns and the outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant have cast a negative impact on the economic recovery of Asean-5 – comprising Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Recognising the urgency to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure, EVYD Knowledge Hub co-led this conference alongside its partners as a shared platform to create awareness on the importance of collaboration, cross-learning, research and digitalisation in empowering scientific policymaking to improve public health.

“As a company that was conceived during the pandemic, we witnessed first-hand the toll it took on our healthcare systems and healthcare providers as they work relentlessly on the frontlines to serve the people. As such, we are honoured to have the opportunity to co-organise this conference with the Ministries of Brunei Darussalam and Temasek Foundation, with the goal of bringing together ASEAN leaders to spearhead conversations on the importance of sharing of knowledge and the role of data and technology in improving public healthcare policymaking,” said Chua Ming Jie, Chief Executive Officer, EVYD Technology.

The two-day conference which sees over 50 speakers participating has successfully kickstarted with day one, where opening remarks were made by Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General ASEAN and welcome remarks were made by Dato Seri Setia Dr Amin Liew Abdullah, Minister at The Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, Brunei Darussalam and Dato Seri Setia Dr. Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar, Minister of Health, Brunei Darussalam. Comprised of four panels, two keynote sessions and a fireside chat, day one focused on discussions around lessons learnt from COVID-19, the role of research and digitalisation in shaping public health policies, as well as recovery and future preparedness.

The first panel discussion, Ministerial Panel: Lessons Learnt From Managing The COVID-19 Pandemic In ASEAN saw participation from ministers including Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, Minister of Health, Brunei Darussalam; Budi G. Sadikin, Minister of Health, Indonesia; Dr Bounfeng Phoummalaysith, Minister of Health, Lao PDR; Dr Or Vandine, Secretary of State for Health, Cambodia moderated by Dr Jeremy Lim, Director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore. They shared insights around the importance of navigating between finding a balance in safeguarding citizens’ health and the nation’s economy and deliberated on how the ASEAN region can better prepare for future pandemics.

Beginning with The Science Behind Pandemics: Why Are We Now More At Risk?, a keynote session by Professor Wang Linfa, Professor and Director, Emerging infectious Diseases Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, tracing the origins of COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus from zoonotic diseases, the conference transitions into solutions-centric discussions on the importance of digitalisation, public health research and a strong economy in preparing the region for future pandemics and emergencies. They include How Can The ASEAN Region Prepare For Disease X?, Fireside Chat: Brunei Darussalam Healthcare Digital Transformation, Role of Research in Public Health and Building A Resilient Economy Post Pandemic. The first day of the 2-day conference concluded with the keynote session by Professor George F. Gao, Director General, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, on The Chinese CDC Experience.

“While the pandemic has affected many ASEAN countries, it has also demonstrated our spirit of resilience as we stand together in solidarity. Moving forward, it is crucial for us countries to continue to rally together and collaborate to ensure public health safety. Internally, it will also require the collective efforts of all sectors of our society including healthcare, finance, social and politics to ensure that we are well-prepared to deter any emerging pandemics, or new variants of the COVID-19 virus,” shared Dato Dr Isham Jaafar, Minister of Health, Brunei Darussalam.

On the conference, Mr Benedict Cheong, Chief Executive, Temasek Foundation International, shared, “The COVID-19 pandemic holds many lessons for what we should be doing as a community in ASEAN. It is critical that regional communities come together to collaborate and share knowledge so that we can better respond to future health crises. We are pleased to co-host this conference together with the Brunei Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Brunei Investment Agency and EVYD Technology, and hope that the discussions over the two days will lead to new partnerships and platforms for regional engagements and collective action.”

EVYD Technology was founded in 2020 with the mission of transforming healthcare through Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to optimise sharper insights and outcomes for public health research. As part of its commitment to do so, it has recently launched EVYD Knowledge Hub with the objective of creating a knowledge-sharing community that connects and engages key stakeholders in public health.