Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister of State for Health Dr Lam Pin Min to attend the 71st World Health Assembly

1          Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister of State for Health Dr Lam Pin Min will attend the 71^st World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland from 21 to 23 May 2018.

2          Mr Gan will deliver a plenary statement on the WHA theme, “Health for All: Commit to Universal Health Coverage”, which will underscore Singapore’s commitment to ensuring that quality healthcare is accessible to all Singaporeans. Mr Gan and Dr Lam will meet with the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and their international counterparts during the visit.

3          The WHA is the decision-making body of the WHO, which brings together Health Ministers and delegations from 194 WHO Member States to discuss global health issues. This year, the delegates will discuss key public health issues including:

• Public health preparedness and response;

• Impact of climate change on health;

• Physical activity for health;

• The use of mobile wireless technologies for public health (mHealth);

• Improving access to assistive technology; and

• Pandemic influenza preparedness.

4          Mr Gan and Dr Lam will be accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Health.