The Vietnamese Ministry of Health (MoH), supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Migration Agency, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Vietnam, held a workshop in An Giang province on August 22 to discuss collaborative plans for controlling cross-border infectious diseases between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Over 50 experts and senior officials from the MoH, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health, and eight border provinces from both countries participated in discussions.
Addressing the event, Dr. Nguyen Luong Tam, deputy director of the MoH’s Department of Preventive Medicine, stressed the need for information sharing and cooperation in preparing for and responding to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies at border crossings between Vietnam and Cambodia, in accordance with international agreements, the Border Health Quarantine Agreement, and each country's legal regulations.
Vietnam highlighted the necessity of continued inter-sectoral coordination at border crossings and international collaboration for disease information sharing, he added.
Dr. Aiko Kaji, director of IOM’s Migrant Health Program, noted that for the first time, health experts from Vietnam and Cambodia have participated in a bilateral workshop to discuss emergency health preparedness and response. He recommended that the governments of Vietnam and Cambodia adopt a “One Health” model to implement multi-sectoral public health interventions tailored to migration-specific challenges.
(Bao An Giang [1], Bao Chinh Phu [2])