Viet Nam-NZ agreement for health collaboration

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce today announced the signing of an agreement between New Zealand and Viet Nam that will allow greater collaboration between both countries’ health sectors.

The signing of the Letter of Arrangement in Hanoi brings opportunities for health-related industries to work with each other’s government agencies, Mr Joyce says.

“This agreement cements the commitment of our respective governments to work together to share knowledge and collaborate in our respective areas of health expertise.

“It will provide trade opportunities between our health sectors and will focus on New Zealand’s expertise in assisting Viet Nam to set up the infrastructure it needs to meet current and future demands.”

The signing of the agreement comes after work between the two sectors to identify areas of collaboration. In October, AgResearch, AsureQuality and Plant and Food New Zealand met with about 100 leaders in the Vietnamese sector to discuss ways of collaboration, which contributed to the finalising of the agreement.

The agreement will see both countries working together on the following priority areas, among others:

• Hospital management
• Integrated health care management
• Pharmaceutical management
• Medical device management
• Human resource development
• Food safety
• IT application in the health care sector

Viet Nam is New Zealand’s 19th largest export market, worth $615 million in goods and services last year and $1.1 billion in two-way trade. It is experiencing rapid growth and is forecast to grow by 6.7% in 2016.

“This year we celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations with the ASEAN region, and this arrangement shows how close that relationship has come,” Mr Joyce says.

“This arrangement will not only provide export opportunities for the New Zealand health industry but will allow for greater collaboration between our governments to shape the future of our health sectors.”