TO MEET the evolving demands of healthcare, to prevent diseases and to promote healthier lifestyles, His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik yesterday called on healthcare management to go beyond the realms of clinics and hospitals, and enter into classrooms, homes and workplaces.

For a more people-centric healthcare manage-ment, all relevant stakeholders from both health and non-health sectors should work together to advance primary healthcare in a coordinated and systematic manner, His Royal Highness said.

In a sabda prior to officiating the International Health Conference held at The Centrepoint Hotel, His Royal Highness also touched on Brunei Darussalam’s achievements in strengthening primary healthcare for the past decades. “I am pleased to note that in Brunei Darussalam, there has been a significant level of support and commitment to strengthening primary healthcare.”

His Royal Highness called for a united front in strengthening the primary healthcare, saying that, “Primary healthcare is now a cornerstone of national policy and receives the full commitment of the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam through the concerted efforts of the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies, thereby enabling our country to provide affordable and accessible universal health coverage for its citizens and to meet the Millennium Development Goals for health, particularly in reducing infant and child mortality.”

The improvement and expansion of primary healthcare programmes, His Royal Highness said, “have enabled us to immunise more than 95 per cent of children under the age of five and we have been successful in decentralising primary healthcare by providing purpose-built health centres that are closer and more accessible to communities.”

“Looking ahead, it is clear that there is still much to do to meet the evolving healthcare demands of the changing expectations and demography of our populations and in working to prevent diseases and promote healthier lifestyles.

“Our efforts to improve primary healthcare must be sustainable and cost-effective to ensure that it remains accessible, relevant and effective in the long-term. We must recognise that successful healthcare management should go beyond the realms of clinics and hospitals, and enter into classrooms, homes and workplaces to become an integral part of our people’s healthier lifestyles.” - Borneo Bulletin (22 September 2013)