President Jokowi Attends ASEAN Plus Three Summit
President Joko Widodo encouraged the ability of ASEAN Plus Three (APT) countries to have a health security mechanism. This reflects the experience of the current COVID-19 Pandemic thus in the future countries in the region can be prepared to face future pandemics. Regional health resilience must start from adequate health infrastructure at the national level. The President said that each country must invest to ensure access to health at affordable prices. These efforts will later improve community resilience and public health preparedness and capacity in times of emergency. Furthermore, President Joko Widodo also mentioned the establishment of a comprehensive regional framework in dealing with a pandemic. This framework includes systems and SoP during a pandemic, early warning systems, systems for the availability of medical devices, medicines, and vaccines in the region. In this regard, the existence of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases is urgently needed. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga attended the Summit who were hold through videoconference.
The Feasibility Study on the Establishment of “ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases” is currently on-going and supported by the Government of Japan through Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).
