S’pore to host World Health Summit regional meeting in 2013

SINGAPORE: Singapore will next year host the first regional meeting of the World Health Summit outside of Berlin, Germany. The "Health for Sustainable Development in Asia" meeting aims to improve healthcare and health systems with a focus on Asia.

Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong made the announcement at the 4th World Health Summit in Berlin.

He said with Asia becoming one of the major global economic engines for the next decade, there will also be unprecedented challenges for healthcare in the region.

He added that health care leaders will be coming together in Singapore at the meeting to move research and knowledge to policy and implementation in Asia and beyond.

At the Berlin meeting, Mr Gan also shared a few ideas that Singapore has tried out.

He said these involve changing the ecosystem in which Singaporeans live, work and play, so that this will translate into changes in people’s mindsets towards health. This will in turn make behavioural and lifestyle changes that are more sustainable.

For example, Mr Gan said Singaporeans eat out frequently as a result of their lifestyle, so the government has worked with food stall owners to reduce the amount of oil and salt used during cooking.

A programme to help consumers better identify food options that are healthier has also been introduced.

Mr Gan said by making healthier choices more widely available, the government hopes to influence individuals to eat healthily.

—CNA/ac