Penang to host ‘Third Asean Conference on Healthy Ageing’
GEORGE TOWN: Penang is set to host the 3rd Asean Conference on Healthy Ageing (Acha) 2024 from July 30 to Aug 1, offering a unique opportunity to share, interact, collaborate, and obtain hands-on skills from healthcare experts in ageing from all disciplines.
Carrying the theme ‘Ageing Successfully – Equitably, Actively and Naturally’, the conference aims to forge a path toward understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by an ageing population.
Acha 2024 organising chairperson and Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) president Prof Dr Shahrul Bahyah Kamaruzzaman said the conference will see as many as 22 international speakers, 38 Malaysian speakers and 500 over delegates participating in the three-day programme.
“As we enter the United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging, Acha 2024 aims to provide an active platform for healthcare professionals, healthy ageing advocates, the industry as well as community within the Asean region.
“To present their latest work, meet, discuss and network with colleagues from the region and abroad to share the best practices and know-how for the betterment of healthy ageing and the older population in the region,” she said in statement.
Dr Shahrul Bahyah said the programmes had been arranged to cater to different expectations and aspirations of the delegates.
She added that symposiums focusing on special population, lessons from the pandemic, digital health, lifestyle interventions as well as many other interesting sessions are carefully crafted to maximise learning opportunities.
“With an excellent line-up of international and local speakers, we strongly believe that there is something in store for everyone attending this conference,” she said.
She said this would be delivered via special lectures, workshops, seminars as well as a pre-conference workshop where medical professionals and community members will continue to learn, enhance, and enrich their knowledge which will translate to better and improved care for older persons.
On Malaysia’s preparedness for an ageing population, Dr Shahrul Bahyah, also a professor of geriatric medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya said the country was starting to show signs of investments into the future of old age.
She said the latest efforts by the government via the World Bank to create a national blueprint on ageing, was one of many efforts to prepare for this, and she believed that all the relevant stakeholders could do more to promote the agenda.
“This type of conference is one of many efforts aimed at creating education, awareness and learning opportunities at every level of healthcare professionals and the many related disciplines as well as other stakeholders.
“We do this by bringing all relevant stakeholders together to create an age-friendly ecosystem within our healthcare system and community,” she added.
She also thanked the Penang government and Ministry of Health for the support shown, and expressed hope that other ministries, particularly government agencies involved in the care of the country’s elderly citizens, would send representatives.