Apec meet lays emphasis on primary healthcare
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The importance of primary healthcare was highlighted at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in Beijing last month as the gateway to the health security system.
Dr Winai Sawasdivorn, secretary-general of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), said yesterday that primary healthcare plays a leading role in improving the health security system, because it helps people access health, first aid and disease prevention services.
He was speaking at the Apec meeting on primary healthcare. The conference aimed at promoting the policy for health security systems among Apec member economies.
The Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in the past decades brought the “health“ area into the limelight.
The health issue addressed at this meeting shows that many counties are concerned with developing a healthcare system, particularly for primary healthcare, that involves health access or continuous treatment of patients, he said.
The Apec meeting featured the Health Working Group Policy Dialogue on Universal Health Coverage in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes the areas of health fund reform, strengthening primary healthcare and the use of traditional medical care and alternative medical care.
To provide continuous support for primary healthcare services, the NHSO has set up a chronic disease fund, aimed at diabetes and high blood pressure prevention. Besides another budget aims at improving the lot of the disabled and the elderly
NHSO has also launched local healthcare funds that are in the hands of local authorities to play a key role on tightening the healthcare system.
Next year, NHSO will still continue its primary health service with similar directions as other counties.
“We have adjusted the budget to uplift the quality of this service,” he added.
