21 December 2023, Seoul. The Philippines conveyed its support for efforts that strengthen healthcare cooperation and partnership in the Indo-Pacific Region at the 2023 Health Cooperation Forum in the Indo-Pacific Region on 13 December 2023 in Seoul. The forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia and Department of State of the United States.

The forum aims to build a stronger vaccine cooperation network in the Indo-Pacific region. This year, under the theme "Building a Resilient Indo-Pacific Partnership on Vaccines and Healthcare", the forum's agenda has expanded to ASEAN-Korea cooperation on digital health, universal health coverage and workforce participation. Representatives from each ASEAN member state were invited as panelists in the special sessions.

Ms. Heidi Umadac, Supervising Health Program Officer of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation of the Department of Health (DOH-BIHC) was the Philippines' representative to the forum. She delivered the PH intervention with emphasis on the DOH's 8-point agenda to strengthening primary health care, utilizing digital health technology, health system resiliency, mental health and well-being, advancement and protection of health workers' rights and well-being and strengthening the health system and structure by mainstreaming health security, enhancing disease and public health surveillance, disease prevention and control, epidemic and pandemic response capabilities across levels of the healthcare system.

The Philippines also announced that the country's first vaccine manufacturing facility will soon rise as the Glovax Lifescience Corp. has started building its Php7.5 billion vaccine facility in Taysan, Batangas, that aims to produce 50 million doses annually. The facility is a partnership between PH local firm Glovax Biotech and ROK pharmaceutical company Eubiologics.

The Philippines looks forward to continued cooperation with the Republic of Korea on priority areas such as on the establishment of the Philippines' Center for Disease Control and Prevention digital health technology, supply chain management, pandemic response, capacity building for health workers on universal health care, and vaccine development. END