British Ambassador Gareth Ward introduces the project at the launch ceremony held on Wednesday. —  Photo thoibaotaichinh.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has been selected as the only Asian pilot country in a new global healthcare partnership because of its unique health system experiences and expertise, including its effective COVID-19 response.

The Partnership for Global Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR), founded by the World Economic Forum, the UK-based London School of Economics (LSE) and British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, was launched in Việt Nam on Wednesday.

It aims to initiate a multi-sector approach to help health systems foresee, prevent, and adapt to the diverse challenges the world faces.

In the pilot phase, running until January 2021, the project will be implemented in eight countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, and Việt Nam.

PHSSR’s Việt Nam team will apply a new framework developed by the LSE to conduct a rapid review of the country’s health system's sustainability and resilience, and identify and strengthen  practical solutions for the benefit of Vietnamese people.

Policy recommendations from the pilot phase will inform The Great Reset – an initiative by the World Economic Forum – and be announced at its virtual event in January 2021.

British Ambassador Gareth Ward expressed his delight that the UK and Việt Nam are both part of the Partnership’s pilot phase, exchanging knowledge and experience to enhance both countries’ health systems and be better prepared for future health crises. He looked forward to further advancing UK-Việt Nam health cooperation and bilateral relations.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been catastrophic, it also presents a brief window of opportunity to act, said AstraZeneca Vietnam Chairman & General Director Nitin Kapoor. The pandemic has generated unprecedented public awareness, and the political will to address global health issues, he said.

Việt Nam’s decisive leadership and swift action in its pandemic response have been inspirational to the world, he noted, adding that his company expects to work closely with the Vietnamese Government and the Ministry of Health, among others, to maximise the project’s impact and increase local patients’ access to quality healthcare. — VNS