| By James Kon and C.T
Mahmud
The Health Minister strikes a gong to open the meeting.
Asean delegates to the health meeting.
The 10th Asean ORL Head and
Neck Congress Brunei Darussalam was opened yesterday by Dato
Haji Awang Abu Bakar Bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Health.
Also present was Dato Paduka
Haji Zainal Bin Haji Momin, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry
of Health.
Pehin Dato Hj Awg Abu Bakar
disclosed the next phase of the government initiative of ICT
development, after their eHealth project "Picture Archival
Communication System (PACS), will be the expansion of the
eHealth network infrastructure within two years where by
hospitals, clinics and health centres will be linked
electronically."
He further said "with the
theme "Promoting and Strengthening Regional
Partnership", one of the possibilities that the federation
could explore is establishing concrete programme of work for
regional collaboration and with partners beyond the Asean region
specially on the field of training, research and service
provisions. This may include sharing of expertise and
advancement and utilisation of Information Technology".
He was impressed by the
increased number of participants who have joined the Asean
Congress in Brunei Darussalam. As the constitution of the ORL
federation is to encourage its members to promote co-operation
in scientific exchange amongst member organisation, he believe
there are much more opportunities and potential for future
collaboration with the Asean ORL Federation.
The co-chairmen of the 10th
Asean Otorhinolaryngolog head and Neck Congress, Dr. Zulkarnain
bin Haji Hanafi welcomed the guest of honour, and all the
delegates in the 3-day conference.
He said there are 760 delegates
from Asean and non-Asean countries in the congress and 70
speakers from all around the world contributing in the
scientific programme.
He said ASEAN ORL Federation
members have agreed to set up an official website and to launch
a journal in an electronic version. These two initiatives will
contribute in further strengthening and promoting the
federation, he said.
The president of the Asean
Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Federation, Dr. Siow Jin Keat,
welcomed the delegates, especially the Cambodia delegates
attending for the first time. With Cambodia joining, this is the
first time in the federation's history that all 10 Asean
countries are present in this biennial Congress.
It will end tomorrow after 10
plenary sessions, symposia, and instructional sessions.
Yesterday's plenary sessions touched on Laryngology with
moderators Efiaty Soepardi; and Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with
Christopher Goh as moderator.
Today's discussion will focus
on Sleep Medicine, Otology Symposium, and Rhinology at the ICC.
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