ASEAN countries urged to invest in centre for public health emergencies
The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on Public Health Dr Jemilah Mahmood has urged all ASEAN countries to invest in the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) to fortify regional preparedness and response capacity.
A COVID-19 testing booth in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian PrimeMinister’s Special Advisor on Public Health Dr Jemilah Mahmood has urged all ASEANcountries to invest in the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public HealthEmergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) to fortify regional preparednessand response capacity.
She made the statement in a webinar entitled “Respondingand Preparing for Natural Hazards under the COVID-19 Pandemic: SharingChallenges and Lessons from Malaysia and Japan” organised by UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia's Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology(MJIIT) on March 17.
The region should have its own so-called centre fordisease control and prevention, she said, this is the opportunity since Japanhas funded the establishment of this kind of centre.
This requires all governments in the region to invest inthe centre, so ASEAN will then not be facing issues, such as vaccinemanufacturing, test kits production, detection of cases, and others, she said.
She said the establishment of such a centre was extremelyimportant as ASEAN is one of the most impacted regions, continued to beconfronted by threats of new and re-emerging infectious diseases, as well asdisaster.
Meanwhile, she applauded Japan as a respected country inmanaging disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction, in terms of policylevel and investment in the matter./.
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A COVID-19 testing booth in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
