(17 August 2020) — The Department of Health (DOH), including the Bureau of International Health Cooperation (BIHC), attended the 5th AHC3 Meeting, held via videoconference. The meeting was chaired by the Ministry of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand, who duly received the chairpersonship from the Republic of Singapore. The Philippine delegation was co-headed by OIC-Director Frances Rose Elgo-Mamaril of the Health Policy and Development Planning Bureau, and Director General Anabelle P. de Guzman of the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care.
During this meeting, the BIHC and its Migrant Health Team presented the draft ASEAN Framework on the Health Coverage of Documented Migrants including Migrant Workers and Special Populations, and the ASEAN Situational Analysis on Migrants’ Health, which were initiatives led by the Philippines.
Also presented during the meeting were: updates on the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Follow up Assessment, updates on the Workshops to Identify Standards for Submission of the Data and Options for Information-sharing on HTA researches on Affordability of Drugs, and the results of the Commemorative Conference on Traditional and Complementary Medicine.
At the end of the two-day meeting, participants also agreed on preliminary directions for the drafting of the 2021-2025 AHC3 work programme, and agreed to further work together to strengthen the AHC3 in the future.
AHC3 focal points and the ASEAN Secretariat held a two-day meeting of the AHC3 using virtual means. The meeting was chaired by AHC3 Chair Thailand.
The accomplishments of the AHC3 was also discussed during the meeting.
Photo from the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, Department of Health - Philippines