5th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Meeting held in Phuket

BANGKOK, July 6 (TNA) - The 5th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Meeting was held in Thailand's southern resort Phuket Province today, at which public health ministers of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from the 10-nation bloc's three Asian dialogue partners, including China, Japan and South Korea, voiced concerns over unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors of their people, which have caused a rapid increase in non-communicable diseases among the regional citizens. The regional public health ministers, thus, agreed to collectively support more socio-economic interventions to halt the upward trend of smokers, as well as people with drinking and unhealthy diet and lifestyles. In their joint statement, the regional health ministers recognized that the trend has led to increasing chronic non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, high blood and high pressure. The 5th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers Meeting was held as part of the 11th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting and Its Related Meetings, 2012, or 11th AHMM, scheduled for July 2-6. ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan earlier recommended at the 11th AHMM that ASEAN member countries pay closer attention to the safety and quality of imported food products while pursuing free trade agreements or FTAs. (TNA)