Singapore, Feb 04, 2010: Economist Conferences, a part of The Economist Group, publisher of The Economist newspaper, will host the inaugural Healthcare in Asia event in Singapore on March 30 and 31. The roundtable is part of a multi-year initiative and the theme of the first year’s forum is “The healthcare challenges in Asia, and the priorities for reform”. The meeting will bring together a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders from across the region, including health ministers, regulators, policymakers, pharma executives, leading practitioners, healthcare providers, manufacturers and academics.

A number of health ministers and government officials from the region will be speaking at the event. The confirmed speakers include; Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health, Singapore; Jae-Hee Jeon, Minister for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, Korea; Dr York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Dr Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Minister of Health, Indonesia; and Dr Chih-Liang Yaung, Minister, Department of Health, Taiwan.

Leading healthcare experts including Arthur Higgins, Chief Executive Officer, Bayer HealthCare; Shane Solomon, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Hospital Authority; Professor Peter Sheehan, Center for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University; and Professor Song Ruilin, Executive Director-General, Chinese Pharmaceutical Association Research Center for Medicinal Policy, will also participate in the event and share their perspectives.
 
The programme will examine the challenges facing governments in Asia in devising and executing appropriate reforms to their healthcare systems. The varied, interactive format will include keynote interviews, panel discussions and case studies. Among the topics are: “Health challenges facing Asia over the next 20 years”; “China — lessons from the most ambitious healthcare reform programme ever implemented”; and “Top down reform: organisational change and governance”.

The opening address will be delivered by Khaw Boon Wan, Minister for Health, Singapore. Minister Khaw will review the challenges raised by changing demographics and disease trends in Asia, and explore innovations in services, management and financing that are transforming the healthcare landscape in the region.
 
Charles Goddard, Editorial Director, Asia-Pacific, Economist Intelligence Unit, and chair of the roundtable remarked, “Healthcare in Asia will provide a platform for dialogue across the region on the kinds of healthcare systems and financing structures that best meet the needs of Asia’s diverse populations. There is no one right way to healthcare reform; rather there are several approaches, the choice of which will depend on the particular circumstances of individual countries.”