2020-01-27 06:05:42 | Posted by MRA Super Admin
The Healthcare Services Sectoral Working Group (HSSWG) is one of the sectoral working groups and integration priority sectors of the ASEAN CCS. The HSSWG discusses matters related to facilitation and cooperation in healthcare services through mutual recognitition arrangement (MRA) which is an important part of the liberalization process of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS). In order to comprehensively implement the three (3) MRAs, the HSSWG has created committees for each of these MRAs which are as follows: AJCCM, AJCCD and AJJCD.
HSSWG meetings were convened in the 94th ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Services (CCS) from 21th to 25th October 2019 in the Philippines. The meeting were held in parallel involving five working group, namely: (i) The 25th ASEAN Joint Coordinating Committee on Medical Practitioners (AJCCM) working group on October 21-22, 2019, (ii) The 24th ASEAN Joint Coordinating Committee on Dental Practitioners (AJCCD) working group on October 21-22, 2019, (iii) The 29th ASEAN Joint Coordinating Committee on Nursing Services (AJCCN) working groups on 21-22 October 2019, (iv) Special Meeting on e-Healthcare Services on October 22, 2019 and (v) The 47th HSSWG on October 23, 2019. The meetings were attended by representatives from 8 (eight) ASEAN Member Countries and the ASEAN Secretariat. Two ASEAN member countries, Vietnam and Lao PDR were unable to attended. Each working group meeting was chaired by Philippines.
The 25th AJCCM
All ASEAN member states (AMS) have uploaded information about the mobilization mechanism for doctors in the ASEAN region to the AJCCM web page. For the next step
each AMS will identify facilities or special rights granted to foreign medical practitioners in the ASEAN region if applying for a temporary / full registration. In order to support the mobilization of medical practitioners in ASEAN, a concept note was proposed to improve communication among the Professional Medical Regulatory Authority (PMRA) of AMS.
The 24th AJCCD
The ASEAN Minimum Common Competency Standards for Dental Undergraduate Education (AMCCSDUE) has been adopted at the 22nd AJCCD. The 24th AJCCD meeting recommend all AMS will not only actively deseminate AMCCSDUE but also accomodate into the national dental education standards. AMCCSDUE is very important in order to facilitate the mobilization of dentists in the ASEAN region through building trust among AMS regarding the quality of dental education. However AMSCCSDUE does not become a mechanism for automatic recognition of qualifications.
The 29th AJCCN
The AJCCN meeting has agreed on the ASEAN Nursing Common Core Competencies (ANCCC) and encouraged the harmonization of the National Nursing Core Competency (NNCC) in each AMS with the ANCC. In addition, the AJCCN continues to discuss the possibility of developing ASEAN Guidelines for Nursing Curriculum to adopt by ASEAN member states.
The Special Meeting on e-Healthcare Services
The Special Meeting on e-Healthcare Services was first held at the 47th HSSWG meeting. It was held to implement the actions: promoting sectors with high potential growth was as health tourism and e-healthcare services, which ensuring no negative impact on the healthcare system of each AMS. The special meeting agreed that the cooperation would be focused on developing the national capacity and building the regional mechanisms in e-healthcare services.
The 47th HSSWG
HSSWG appreciated Indonesia for allocating resources in maintaining the ASEAN Healthcare Services Website and Secretariat, and also for taking proactive efforts in assisting ASEAN member countries on uploading the required content on to the website. HSSWG also encouraged ASEAN member countries to have further coordination with Indonesia in completing data/information submission to the website. To understand what challenges faced by the administrators in completing the website content, Indonesia proposed to conduct a small survey. The meeting agreed that the proposal. A questionnaire related to the website development should be developed by Indonesia and submitted to the ASEAN Secretariat for further circulation to all AMS. All administrator of AMS encouraged to participate in the survey.
The next health working group meeting will be held at the 95th ASEAN CCS in early 2020 but for the host of the meeting will be further confirmed. The chairmanship of the health working group meeting in 2020 will be handed over to Singapore.
