Northern provinces set to experience cooler weather

The Asia-Pacific Action for Health Conference, which took place in Vientiane from October 28-30, aimed to strengthen health workforce resilience through the One Health approach, digital readiness, and public health collaboration.

A mountain covered in mist, a sign of the winter season.

Meeting delegates engaged in site visits, interactive workshops, and discussions aimed at integrating digital tools and cross-sector collaboration to enhance preparedness for future public health emergencies.
Laos’ Deputy Minister of Health Dr Snong Thongsna was one of the speakers at the Asia-Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health Conference, which took the theme “Health Workforce as the Cornerstone of Resilience”.
Discussions centred on the essential role played by the health workforce in building robust health systems that can effectively deal with public health emergencies in the future, while also maintaining the regular performance of necessary services.
The conference provided a unique platform for learning, networking, and driving collective action towards a resilient health workforce in the Asia-Pacific, Dr Snong said, and requested stakeholders from all sectors to participate in the critical talks.
The gathering served to foster collaboration and action-oriented discussions, with participants exploring effective strategies for knowledge sharing, resource allocation, and the implementation of solutions across the Asia-Pacific region.
The meeting brought together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to explore critical issues surrounding the health workforce.
One of the topics on the agenda was “Navigating Future Public Health Challenges in the Asia-Pacific Region: Enhancing systemic responses to a wide range of threats, including natural disasters, outbreaks, and human-made crises”.
This involves overcoming resource strain, resistance to change, and dependence on centralised policies in the Asia-Pacific region, and fostering stronger leadership within the healthcare workforce.
The Asia-Pacific Action Alliance for Human Resources for Health, a regional partnership mechanism, was launched by 10 founding member countries in response to international recognition of the need for global and regional action to strengthen country capacity for HRH planning and management.
The Alliance is part of a larger movement to enhance HRH development as articulated in the Kampala Declaration and the Agenda for Global Action.
Currently, the Alliance comprises 22 countries, consisting of 10 from the WHO South-East Asia Region, nine countries from the WHO Western Pacific Region, and three countries from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
 

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update October 31, 2024)