Health is becoming an important issue for finance ministers, prime ministers, planning ministers and indeed for law-makers. And, new ideas are emerging. We have a number of health interventions which dramatically reduce mortality from the main infectious killers. They have in common that they have proven effective on a local or national level. We also know that such action is crucial if hard-won health gains and in the extension of these, social and economic gains are to be sustained.
Malaria is still a serious impediment to development in the northern and western border areas.
We need to use existing interventions in a more effective way and on a larger scale. In this context, the Roll Back Malaria Mekong Initiative is a trend-setter and its progress will be closely followed. We must focus on ways to best make drugs and vaccines that exist but are not widely available affordable to as many as possible. We must also increase our efforts to produce new drugs and vaccines. We are fighting against time to achieve the best results possible with the drugs that exist as they slowly are becoming less effective due to microbial resistance.