BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

REFORMS are needed to provide better healthcare services and tackle the emergence of new diseases, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health said.

Datin Paduka Dr Hjh Norlila Dato Paduka Hj Abdul Jalil said global healthcare is on the frontline of sweeping change and poses a challenge towards meeting the needs of today’s population.

“Reform has never been more needed, or more pressing, to build more resilient foundations, strategies and constructive partnerships at both bilateral and multilateral levels,” she said during the Seventh Bilateral Meeting on Health between Malaysia and Brunei onMonday.

The reforms will be challenging as there are no resources or ability to provide the solutions, she said.

She added that the health situation has changed over the years, with the emergence of new diseases such as MERS-CoV and Ebola.

“Therefore new and innovative ideas need to be discovered so that these cooperation and exchanges can bring more benefit, not just to government officials, but to our people.”

She added that working together and combining efforts toward a quality and accessible healthcare system could address such challenges.

Datin Hjh Norlila said Brunei is improving its healthcare services across care settings to meet the anticipated increase in demand for health services.

One of the steps taken was the implementation of the Brunei Health Information Management System (Bru-HIMS), which was introduced last year to improve the quality of healthcare services.

“Many countries are transforming their healthcare delivery system to meet the changing needs of their population,” she said.

“This is due to the changing disease patterns and shift in demographic changes of an ageing population that compels healthcare professionals to provide more appropriate, effective and comprehensive care for our people,” she added.

Datin Hjh Norlila went on to say that more skilled health professionals in the workforce are needed to implement Brunei’s national healthcare strategic plan.

Malaysia and Brunei signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2006 where – under joint work plans – numerous activities such as exchanges of working visits and sharing of information have been organised

Farida Mohd Ali, secretary-general of Malaysia’s Ministry of Health, said she was pleased to note the significant progress both countries have made on the implementation of the MoU.

“It was made possible through the implementation of joint work plans carried out by our officials who executed it during the Technical Working Group meetings... which were monitored and followed up at the operational and the ministerial level, especially on issues that also involve immigration or customs.”

The closed-door meeting on Monday was held to exchange views on current health challenges.

The Brunei Times