US-ASEAN Business Council Brings Delegation of Leading Health Companies to Vietnam to Discuss COVID-19 Recovery & Healthcare Resilience
(Hanoi) - From March 10 to March 11, 2022, the US-ASEAN Business Council (the Council) led a delegation of 13 U.S. companies on the 2022 Health & Life Sciences Mission to Vietnam, directly following the 2022 Vietnam Business Mission. The Council's delegation met with government officials and key stakeholders across key ministries and agencies to discuss Vietnam’s healthcare system and COVID-19 recovery. The mission was co-led by the Council’s Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director Ambassador Michael W. Michalak; and GE’s CEO and Chair of the Council’s Vietnam Committee Son Pham.
The 2022 HLS Mission also provided an opportunity for members to share updates on ongoing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) the Council currently has with the Vietnam Ministry of Health (MOH) and Vietnam Social Security (VSS). Earlier in the week the Council also officially signed its MOU with VSS during the welcome reception for US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, to support Vietnam’s social security and health insurance systems. The Council will host its 7th Joint Working Group meeting on the MOU with Vietnam MOH on a future date.
Other mission themes included supporting the government of Vietnam’s COVID-19 recovery strategy; discussing potential opportunities for collaboration with the Ministry of Health; and sharing global best practices and public-private partnership models to support the development of sustainable healthcare systems in Vietnam with improved access to innovative medical products.
“This year’s HLS missions comes at a valuable juncture as Vietnam prepares for a wider re-opening. It is important that any reopening is calibrated with proper health protocols for the safety of both local Vietnamese citizens and travelers” said Amb. Michalak. “Furthermore, the pandemic has shown us that ensuring continuity of care for non-COVID patients by ensuring access to innovative medicines and treatments in areas such as oncology is extremely important to overall healthcare system resilience.”
The mission kicked off with a briefing from the U.S. Embassy Hanoi. The delegation also met with cabinet members and senior members of the Vietnamese Government, including the Ministry of Health; Vietnam Social Security; the National Assembly Committee on Social Affairs; and K Hospital.
Companies in the Council’s delegation included: Abbott, Boston Scientific, DKSH Holdings, GE, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, MSD, Novartis, Organon, Pfizer, Roche, and Zuellig Pharma.