His Excellency, Associate Professor Dr Phouthone Muangpak, Vice Minister of Health;
Her Excellency, Ms Ina Marčiulionytė, EU Ambassador to Lao PDR;
Directors and Deputy Director-General of Ministry of Health;
Distinguished guests and colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Good afternoon.
We are pleased to be with you today to launch the Ministry of Health (MOH), European Union (EU) and World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Health Pandemic Response and Preparedness Project.
This event marks the start of an important new partnership, and an important step towards our collective goal to protect the health of the people of Lao PDR. Crucial to achieving this will be taking care of the most vulnerable, ensuring their rights and access to health through strengthening of the health systems.
Also crucial will be ensuring that health systems are resilient and able to continue to deliver essential services before, during, and after a pandemic.
The project also emphasizes the importance of a regional approach, by increasing collaboration among ASEAN countries on emergency response and preparedness.
We know well that COVID-19 and other diseases know no borders. Cross border collaboration with Lao PDR's neighbors and the broader ASEAN community is therefore a critical element of this response.
The Ministry of Health has identified several priorities for this project that are in line with the National COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Health 2020-2025, focusing on the ten pillars.
First, it aims to improve command, coordination and planning, by strengthening the coordination of Emergency Operation Centres at central, provincial and district levels for informed decision making.
Next, it focuses on the first line of defense by strengthening the Points-of-Entry so that we continue to detect imported cases rapidly.
With periodic risk assessments done to monitor regional COVID-19 developments, the project will support MOH on strengthening surveillance activities and procurement of laboratory reagents and supplies.
It will also strengthen preparations for possible future increases in caseload at health facilities by supporting capacity building for health staff on clinical management, and infection, prevention and control.
Accelerating equitable access to new tools such as vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, and ensuring availability and access to quality medicines is another critical area.
To reduce the risk of infection when patients uses health facilities for essential services, improvements will also be made to water, sanitation and hygiene and waste management in selected provinces.
Risk communications and community engagement approaches will be used to promote public health social measures, encourage use of essential health services, and scale up readiness for COVID-19 vaccines for when they become more widely available to the community.
By working closely with our partners, we will identify opportunities to further improve alignment of internal and external funding so that resources are used as efficiently as possible.
In closing, today marks an important step in the country’s fight against COVID-19. Let us continue to work together in solidarity to fight this pandemic.
Thank you.