Cambodia to Strengthen Cooperation on Aging Population with ASEAN and Japan

Minister of Health of Cambodia, Dr. Chheang Ra, delivered an intervention at the ASEAN-Japan Health Ministers Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, under the theme "Living Longer with Dignity: Healthy Aging and Sustainable Universal Health Coverage." The meeting was attended by representatives from all 11 ASEAN member states, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, and Japan. Dr. Chheang Ra highlighted that Japan possesses extensive experience, multi-sectoral data, and practical expertise in addressing the health impacts of an aging population, which ASEAN can greatly benefit from. He emphasized the necessity of moving to the next stage of integrating aged care by linking health care with social support and improving the identification of specific needs. He further stated that the focus should not solely be on high-risk individuals but on the entire elderly population to enable preventive measures and reduce the demand for long-term care. Furthermore, the Minister stressed the importance of integrating community participation with technological innovation to identify solutions appropriate to the cultural context of each country. He added that to develop a multi-sectoral approach for healthy aging, it is essential to strengthen the evidence base and promote knowledge through what can be termed the "science of aging and health," by bringing together social and natural sciences. Beyond this, Dr. Chheang Ra's intervention affirmed that these foundations are crucial for maintaining political commitment, strengthening leadership capacity, creating effective multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms, and promoting policies that foster positive public perception of aging. With its extensive experience, Japan can help integrate resilient, active, and healthy aging into multi-sectoral policies, enabling the sharing of innovative solutions and addressing specific needs, including social connectivity, digital integration and technological support for integrated care and self-monitoring, and supportive environmental factors and living/working conditions that allow older persons to maintain functional ability, independence, and dignity. Source: AKP Khmer