Session 6: Wellness and Health Strategies for Crisis Recovery and Nation-Building
COVID has changed our healthcare practices and the ways in which we take care of ourselves and interact with others. Health measures to control the COVID spread have affected the way we work and live i.e. social distancing concerns, work-from-home policies, etc. While physical distancing has proven effective in reducing COVID contagions, it directly undermines real-world social interactions, networks, and bonds among people. This highlights the importance of wellness which is multidimensional and offers holistic health, happiness, and well-being. In light of crisis recovery, wellness shall become central to development. Promotion of wellness will ensure robust and sustainable recovery from the pandemic. This session then discusses the following key issues:
- To maximise the effectiveness of the health system for crisis recovery, should we prioritise a preventative rather than curative methodology? If so, what is the best way to achieve this?
- What should governments do to create wellness ecosystems to promote recovery?
- How can we promote wellness products and services which are accessible to people from all walks of life?
Moderator: Dr. Khor Swee Kheng, Senior Visiting Fellow, United Nation University – International Institute for Global Health, Malaysia
Speakers:
1. H.E. Prof. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse,
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand, Ramon Magsaysay Award Recipient
2. H.E. Daniels Pavļuts,
Minister for Health and former Minister for Economics of Latvia
3. Prof. Salvatore Di Somma,
Professor of Medicine at Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy
4. Dr. Farid Alan Bidgoli,
General Manager for Roche Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos