Stronger Health Systems

On 12 November 2020, the ASEAN Leaders during the 37th Summit under the Chairmanship of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam announced the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).

The ASEAN Health Sector has been engaged in the prevention, detection, and response to COVID-19 since the first week of January 2020 when information about the cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City was shared with the ASEAN Secretariat.

Thailand has suffered severe economic losses and social disturbance due to the global outbreak of diseases or pandemics. In January 2004, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of the H5N1 subtype was first confirmed in poultry and humans i

In today’s digital age, compelling narratives can make a message stand out in a saturated media landscape. They can capture the imagination, build understanding, and forge emotional connections among people.

Changi Airport, Southeast Asia’s busiest airport with hundreds of thousands of passengers on a typical day, sat near empty for months. The sprawling Angkor Wat complex, normally bustling with tourists in the peak months of January to April, fell silent

Healthcare is a significant cornerstone of every political system in the world. This is even more so in the post-pandemic world, where tectonic shifts in the way medicine is transacted have altered the dynamics between healthcare providers and patients

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global change in most aspects of life, but the impact has been unevenly distributed as with any major change. Across ASEAN Member States, the experience of the pandemic has varied considerably. Rates of SARS-COV-2 inf

It is with great pleasure that I welcome the opportunity to contribute insights from a Canadian perspective. This COVID-19 Special Issue on “Strengthening Health Systems in ASEAN” is timely to reflect on the challenges posed during this unrelenting glo

First of all, I would like to congratulate the ASEAN Secretariat upon the launching of The ASEAN magazine. It is my honour to join in this issue with this interview on a most pressing and important subject of healthcare systems.

Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shares with The ASEAN, WHO’s ongoing initiatives to ensure the fair and equitable access of countries to safe vaccines, and continuing cooperation with ASEAN to control COVID-19 and prevent future pandemics.

In early December, Former Health Minister Putranto addressed The ASEAN’s questions on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of strengthening health systems and the AHMM’s initiatives to help Member States respond to future outb

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala talks to The ASEAN about COVAX, one of three pillars of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, which focuses on ensuring the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to both higher income and lower-income countries.

Jonas Elmer Balneg studied nursing because his mother was a nurse too. The Philippines is one of the major sources of nurses globally. Many like Jonas take up nursing with hopes of landing an overseas job. His plan was to work in the country for two to

For human resources consultant Paul Nyan Myint Soe, the COVID-19 pandemic means chaos and disaster. The 43-year-old business director was diagnosed with COVID-19 in October, and from his quarantine room, he learned how the virus caused him and his fami

For more than 20 years, the ICANSERVE Foundation has been on a mission to save lives by advocating for early breast cancer detection, and by linking breast cancer patients and survivors to vital information and resources that can set them on the path t

Peter Thipommajan, a 23-year-old economics graduate from National University of Laos, began teaching English informally to children in 2019. From Monday to Friday, he would rent the Saelao Restaurant in Ban Nathong, Vang Vieng, Vientiane Province and h

The hawker scene is an integral part of Singapore’s culture. Locals and tourists throng hawker centres to enjoy local cuisine at affordable prices. But diners had to stop eating out when Singapore imposed circuit beaker measures in April to contain the

Samak Kosem has been researching on Muslim culture in Southern Thailand for many years. The PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Chiang Mai University communicates his findings through photography, mixed media, and videos, among others, t

With a focused passion to uphold the integrity and quality of journalism, Ain Bandial and three colleagues made the brave move of starting Brunei Darussalam’s first digital only media company in September 2017. Eyebrows may have been raised as such a v

Tadioto is owned by Nguyen Qui Duc, a well-published Vietnamese-American writer who decided to return to Viet Nam after years of living in the US. Duc opened Tadioto in 2007, and after several iterations, it has become the favourite haunt of artists, w

Flying the skies to nurturing the earth sums up Captain Nadira and Captain Abdul Rahman’s journey over the past few months. Many employees in the aviation industry are still facing turbulent times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While boarding gates r

Months into the pandemic, Dr. Disa Edralyn understood that the risk of contracting the coronavirus is higher for medical workers in Indonesia. The 27-year-old doctor, who is currently inactive to focus on her speciality study on anaesthesiology, was te