Seoul: Heads of health authorities from South Korea, China, and Japan have agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation on universal health coverage and mental health by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies, Seoul's health ministry announced Sunday. This development comes amid recent diplomatic tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the agreement was reached during the two-day 18th Trilateral Health Ministers' Meeting held in Seoul. The meeting was attended by South Korean Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, Japanese Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno, and Feng Yong, director general for international cooperation at China's National Health Commission.
During the meeting, the three nations agreed to make joint efforts to expand access to essential medical services by utilizing AI and digital technologies. They also resolved to share their methods of using these technologies in accordance with each country's infrastructure and institutional frameworks.
To address the challenge of rapid population aging, they concurred on supporting the development of integrated care systems that provide coordinated medical and care services. On mental health, the countries prioritized life cycle-based suicide prevention strategies, early identification of high-risk groups, and proper intervention systems by expanding the use of digital tools.
"Through the course of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, we reaffirmed the importance of sustainable and resilient health systems. Beyond infectious disease control, we emphasized the importance of further cooperation on broader health agendas, including universal health coverage (UHC), healthy and active ageing, and mental health promotion," the joint statement expressed.
The statement further mentioned, "The three countries will continue to share policies and innovative practices in the field of mental health, and are determined to generate tangible synergies for mental health promotion and suicide prevention across East Asia through evidence-based policy cooperation."
On the sidelines of the meeting, Jeong held bilateral talks with delegations from China, Japan, and the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Regional Office, as reported by the ministry.