DA NANG, VIETNAM - The first Asia
Pacific Military Health Exchange (APMHE) opened in Da Nang, Vietnam on
September 14, 2015. Over 400
participants from 23 countries braved the tropical storms ravaging the country
to learn more about infectious diseases, the role of the medical
non-commissioned officer, medical support of peacekeeping operations, health
effects of climate change, nursing roles and a dozen more breakout health
topics.
The “Global Health Cooperation”
theme of the exchange, lent itself to the 20th Anniversary of the normalization
of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam.
“We have truly come far since July
of 1995 and our continued engagement signals while history cannot be rewritten,
we are the authors of our future,” said Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant
secretary of defense for health affairs. “As this conference illustrates,
military health cooperation is part of this fabric of greater cooperation,”
Woodson added.
In
its inaugural venture, the APMHE efficiently combined previously separate
military health meetings led by United States Pacific Command (USPACOM)
components: Asia Pacific Military Medical Conference (led by U.S. Army Pacific,
USARPAC), Asia Pacific Military Nursing Exchange (led by Pacific Air Forces,
PACAF) and Senior Navy Medical Leaders Symposium (led by Pacific Fleet, PACFLT/7th
FLT), into one joint holistic engagement with efficiencies in funding, travel
time and engagement burden on partner nations all relieved.
“We
recognize that military health teams are just that – teams. All members of the team have an important
role to play, and the team wouldn’t be complete without all of the players,”
said cohost Rear Adm. Colin Chinn, command surgeon, USPACOM. “That means the
various professional corps are interdependent.
The various ranks are all critical to the complete team and the military
health team functions in the air, on the ground, and on and under the sea,”
added Chinn.
“It
has been 23 times since the first APMHE organized,” said Maj. Gen. Vu Quoc
Binh, surgeon general of the Vietnam People’s Army. “Through these significant
events we have gained fruitful outcomes, many lessons in military medicine
cooperation are shared, many cooperative initiatives are implemented thereby
contributing to strengthening the confidence building, mutual understanding and
cooperation among our military medicine forces,” Binh said during his opening
remarks.
U.S.
Army Brig. Gen. Patrick D. Sargent, commander of the Regional Health
Command-Pacific in Hawaii and scheduled cohost of the Ground Forces session
later in the week, also appreciated the cooperative initiatives between the
nations present at the exchange and how that collaboration can help improve
multinational cooperation in order to meet health challenges.
“Every
speaker talked about the value of cooperation in exchange,” said Sargent, in
reference to the opening ceremony addresses.
“The profound statements this morning really synthesize the approach to
human and animal ecosystems and the diseases those are associated with, depend
upon this type of collaboration to thwart those disease processes,” added
Sargent.
The APMHE conference agenda includes
plenary sessions on current global health topics, breakout sessions divided by
Corps (Medical, Nurse, Administrative, Public Health, Enlisted) and Service
(Ground, Air, Maritime) with cultural tours strewn throughout the week for all
participants.
“I encourage all of you to fully take
advantage of this tremendous opportunity for exchange of knowledge, experiences
and expertise this week,” said Chinn. “So that our military teams can become
stronger,” he added.