On 6 November 2024, Minister for Health Mr Ong Ye Kung graced the High-level Meeting on Risk Communication for Public Health Emergencies as the Guest-of-Honour and hosted an insightful fireside chat with more than 50 representatives from government agencies, academic institutions and other public health experts from 27 countries. The segment paved the way for fruitful discussions to follow as part of the 2-day event co-organised by Asia-Europe Foundation and Asia Centre for Health Security.
As seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, effective communication from the government to the public is vital in ensuring that zero to minimal lives are lost during a public health emergency, and implementing a Whole of Society (WoS) approach is key to overcoming challenges that come with these communication strategies. According to the World Health Organization, the WoS approach recognises the roles and contributions of each stakeholder in effective emergency risk management. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals, families and communities, government agencies, faith groups, the media, and voluntary associations.
In his opening remarks, Prof Teo Yik Ying, Dean of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health emphasised the importance of effective Risk Communication in a public health emergency, “The ability to communicate effectively is central to every crisis, and I hope this becomes a platform for us to share and to learn how we can communicate risk better during times of emergencies to minimise the damage and the impact to the health of populations around the world”.