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Ministry assesses progress in health security

A health security project has seen outstanding achievements and met 94 percent of its targets in support of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to improve the control of emerging infectious diseases.
The project has helped the ministry to strengthen outbreak rapid response teams in target areas, equipped laboratories, and improved infection prevention and control in district hospitals along borders and economic corridors in 82 districts of 12 provinces.

The health security project has focused on migrant and mobile populations, ethnic communities, and vulnerable groups and populations living in remote border areas who have limited access to health services.
The Ministry of Health held an annual meeting in Savannakhet province last week to review the progress of the project, chaired by the Minister of Health, Associate Prof. Dr Bounkong Syhavong.
According to the ministry’s Planning and International Cooperation Department, the project is run by the Ministry of Health and is taking place for five years from 2017-2022.
In 2017, the Asian Development Bank and the Lao government signed an agreement on a US$12 million loan and grant package for the health security project.
The US$12 million assistance is part of a US$125 million loan and grant approved by the Bank in 2016 for the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Health Security Project.
The project has strengthened regional, cross border, and inter-agency information sharing and coordination of outbreak control between Laos and other GMS countries.
The package has supported the government’s efforts to improve the control of emerging infectious diseases such as SARS and bird flu, as well as hospital services in the provinces of Phongsaly, Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Bokeo, Huaphan, Xieng Khuang, Borikhamxay, Khammuan, Saravan, Xekong, Champassak, and Attapeu.


 


By Times Reporters
(Latest Update
January 20,
2021)


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