Seeking Improvements in Maternal and Child Health in Developing Countries

Minister of Health and Welfare Jin Su-hee led trilateral health ministers from Korea, China, and Japan to reach an agreement to pursue sustained cooperation in improving maternal and child health in developing countries, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 21st.

Minister Jin attended the fourth Korea-China-Japan Health Ministers' Meeting held at the Shilla Jeju Hotel and proposed a new agenda on "joint cooperation to improve maternal and child health in developing countries." The three nations agreed to share each country's efforts and experiences and explore sustained cooperation measures to improve maternal and child health in developing countries.

The health authorities of the three countries reached consensus on the need to cooperate in improving infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rates in developing countries, which have shown the slowest progress among the eight MDGs (UN Millennium Development Goals), a major concern of the international community. They exchanged views on specific measures to address this.

Minister Jin introduced Korea's achievements in maternal and child health improvement through the training of maternal and child health workers in the 1970s, and stated that plans will be pursued to implement maternal and child health improvement projects tailored to the characteristics of developing countries based on these experiences.

Additionally, as members of the G20, Korea, China, and Japan need to play roles befitting their international standing. In this context, Minister Jin proposed that the health authorities of the three countries jointly cooperate in improving maternal and child health in developing countries.

Regarding Minister Jin's proposal for the three nations to make joint efforts in training specialized maternal and child health personnel, China's Minister of Health Chen Zhu and Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare Minister Ritsuō Hosokawa expressed positive positions.

Minister Jin also adopted a Joint Statement on the results of the Korea-China-Japan Health Ministers' Meeting together with Minister Chen and Minister Hosokawa at the meeting, presenting the direction of future trilateral health cooperation.

The Joint Statement includes ▲strengthening joint responses to emerging infectious diseases ▲rapid notification to other countries in case of food safety issues ▲strengthening cooperation in clinical research of pharmaceuticals and disaster response preparedness ▲continued exploration of trilateral cooperation measures to improve maternal and child health in developing countries.

Previously, Minister Jin agreed to jointly address low birth rates and aging population issues at bilateral Korea-Japan talks held the previous day. In Korea-China bilateral talks, the two countries discussed medical cooperation measures and signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on food standards harmonization.