Text by Cherry D. Madrideo
Photo by Department of Foreign Affairs

Participants during the Inaugural Conference on PH-Pacific Partnership for Sustainable Health Workforce and Health Security

UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee served as one of the session resource persons during the Philippine-Pacific Health Initiative Conference on Nov. 29, 2024 in Makati City. Chancellor Tee offered strategies to strengthen production of human resources for health through education and training.

As the Health Sciences Center, UP Manila leads in training and producing health workers who are capable of addressing the country’s health challenges and prepared to practice their profession. He highlighted the leadership engagements of UP Manila with other academic institutions, government agencies, and industries to ensure that its graduates are prepared to enter the health workforce and support Universal Health Care goals. He provided insights on the country’s experience and expertise in providing innovative solutions and practices for building a sustainable health workforce vis a vis the evolving needs of the health sector.

The Philippine-Pacific Health Initiative Conference is a collaborative effort organized by the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Health (DOH), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific. With the theme “Toward a Philippine
Pacific Partnership for Sustainable Human Resources for Health Security,” the conference took place from Nov. 27 to 29, 2024.

It brought together distinguished Ministers of Health and Foreign Affairs from Pacific Island countries and
territories, as well as global health experts to address the critical need for sustainable health human resources across the Pacific.

Among the activities were a series of plenary and breakout discussions among the participants and invited international and local resource persons to collaborate and plan for the future of the Pacific Health Workforce.■