Honorable Assistant Secretary Enrique Tayag
Department of Health
Honorable Director Remigio Olveda, M.D.
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
Honorable Dr. Woojin Lew
World Health Organization in the Philippines
Honorable Executive Director Jaime C. Montoya, M.D.
Philippine Council for Health Research and Development
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
Good Morning!
First of all, let me express my sincere appreciation for the message of sympathy and condolences from the RITM over the recent earthquake and tsunami, which caused unprecedented devastation in Northeast Japan, as well as the valuable donation made by the Institute. The Government and people of Japan, with the assistance being extended by the international community, will continue to make all-out efforts to overcome the difficulties and tackle the challenges ahead from the recovery and reconstruction of our country.
Today, it is a great honor and pleasure for me to be with you all in celebrating the 30 th anniversary of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), just before my leaving the Philippines this coming Friday after having served as Ambassador for three and a half years.
In the long history of Japan's unwavering support to the health sector in the Philippines, the establishment of the RITM in April 1981 was supported by a grant aid from the Government of Japan. In 1987, subsequent grant assistance from Japan paved the way for the construction of the training center and the residence hall as well as the provision of training equipment. In 2002, Japan further extended its assistance for the establishment of the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL). I believe that these facilities have dramatically improved the functions of the RITM as a center and catalyst for training on infectious and tropical diseases not only for Filipinos but also for health specialists from other ASEAN nations.
Over the years, Japan has also dispatched medical specialists to the RITM and conducted joint research studies with the Institution. S ince 2008, Japan's Tohoku University and the RITM have conducted a joint research project on the “Japan Institute for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (J-GRID)”. Furthermore, this year, both the Tohoku University and the RITM have started another joint research project on ”Comprehensive Epilogical and Epidemiological Study on Acute Respiratory Infections in Children, providing evidence for the prevention and control of childhood pneumonia in the Philippines”.
I commend the officers, researchers and employees of RITM for the steadfast efforts and significant contribution to the prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases in the Philippines. Particularly, I would like to highlight the vital role played by RITM for the diagnoses and management of the SARS outbreak in 2003. This commendable work was truly beneficial to the containment of SARS transmission in the country. Incidentally, Japan's ODA assisted the installation of negative pressure air handling systems at the Institute's hospital facility during this critical period. Furthermore, the RITM has been designated as a national referral center and national reference laboratory for SARS, pandemic influenza and other emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases due to its sophisticated and state-of-the-art facilities. In 2009, during the outbreak of H1N1, the RITM also played a significant role as a national reference laboratory.
We will be facing additional threats of public health emergencies in the future. I believe that the RITM, as the principal research arm of the Department of Health , will be in the forefront of handling these emergency crises.
The 30 year -history of the RITM is a concrete manifestation of more than five decades of continuing friendship and mutual cooperation between Japan and the Philippines in the areas of prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging infectious and tropical diseases. Our cooperation in these areas serves to enhance directly the “human security” of the people in the region, and plays a significant role in fostering a strategic partnership between our two countries. To better address the global threats of infectious and other diseases and to bring about a safer environment for our future generations, let us carry on!
Thank you very much for your attention.
Embassy of Japan in the Philippines