KUALA LUMPUR (May 5): Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and the Sarawak government are set to host the 54th Asia Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) Conference 2023, with the support of Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak).

In a statement on Wednesday (May 3), BESarawak said the conference is set to take place from Oct 30 to Nov 1 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching, with an expected crowd of 800 public health experts, practitioners and industry collaborators from across the world.

Sarawak’s Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Seri Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian said public health is extremely important, adding that it goes beyond preventing and responding to diseases.

“It is about giving everyone access to the right healthcare services and facilities to improve their quality of life and live longer.

“The government has spent decades focusing on the improvement of healthcare and medicine, but today, we are facing new challenges that need more research, collaboration and innovation.

“The 54th APACPH Conference will be at the heart of community and public health education, and transform Sarawak into a global hub for public health research and learning,” said Sim.

Meanwhile, Unimas Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said public health is one of the university’s strengths under the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, hence hosting the conference is an opportunity to lead the global academic scientific communities.

“In addition to workshops and symposia, delegates will visit Unimas’ Malaria Research Centre and Institute of Health and Community Medicine to tour our facilities. They will also tour the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre,” he said.