Banking News – The formal meetings of the first day of the “Asia Pacific Health and Finance Committee Chairs Meeting” began today in Sanur, Indonesia. From Nepal, Honorable Dr. Ojaswi Serchan and Honorable Dr. Krishna Hari Budhathoki participated in this important regional meeting.

The first day’s sessions, jointly organized by the Global TB Caucus and the Global Health Caucus, in collaboration with various international partner organizations, held in-depth discussions on various contemporary issues in the health sector.

Inauguration and Partnership

The inaugural session was held under the high leadership of Lord Nick Herbert, Chair of the Global TB Caucus; Ibu Putih Sari, Regional Co-Chair from Indonesia; and Honorable Warren Entsch, Regional Co-Chair from Australia.

Lung Health and Financial Management

Representatives from major technical and development partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Fund, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Gates Foundation made presentations on the growing burden of tuberculosis (TB), lung cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, and the policy and financial management required to address them.

Parliamentary Dialogue and Service Delivery

A high-level interaction took place among parliamentary representatives on how to break down fragmentation in health services and deliver citizen-centered and effective services. In this session, honorable parliamentarians exchanged their countries’ experiences and policy challenges.

Nepal’s Representation and Participation

During the meeting, Honorable Dr. Ojaswi Serchan and Honorable Dr. Krishna Hari Budhathoki demonstrated a strong presence regarding Nepal’s health priorities and the efforts being made in the fight against tuberculosis and other communicable diseases at the parliament and policy-making levels. They also held bilateral and multilateral discussions and exchanged experiences with various international representatives.

Tomorrow, the meeting will also play an important role in building further policy commitments for health financing and communicable disease control in the Asia-Pacific region.