Bandar Seri Begawan - Research is intertwined with the socio-economic development of any nation as much data suggests a direct relationship between health and economic development, said a senior government official yesterday.

Deputy Minister of Health Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Laila Diraja Dato Paduka Hj Hazair Hj Abdullah, speaking at the opening of the Workshop on Health Policy Planning and Health Systems Research yesterday cited examples of developing countries that had achieved higher economic growth after investing relatively more in health. "In Asia, life expectancy increased by over 18 years in the two decades that preceded the most dramatic economic take-off in history," he said.

'An analysis for the Asian Development Bank concluded that a third of the 'phenomenal' Asian economic growth between 1965 and 1997 resulted from investment in people's health.

"Another finding from recent research is that the way health systems are designed, managed and financed seriously affect people's lives," he added.

Prof Phua Kai Hong from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore shared the same view. Hesaid that health and economic development can positively affect one another. "Investments in public health can yield returns in improved productivity, contributing to gross national product (GNP) while economic development can lead to higher health status and health care spending," he said.

Dato Hj Hazair said health policy and system research provide an opportunity to link the knowledge generation with practical concerns to improve health and health equity. He told the participants that research can generate vital evidence in shaping policymaking as without such data policy makers can only fall back on intuition, ideology, conventional wisdom or theory.

"This is why in the new Ministry of Health's vision 2035, promoting research and development is recognised as one of the strategic objectives supporting the achievement of our vision," he said.

However, he added that despite the high-profile interest for health research, many systems face the challenge of constrained financial and human resources.

"Other challenges facing health research systems include responding to an increased emphasis on research ethics and developing new ways to commission research so as to allow the greater involvement of patients and public," he said.

However, the biggest and crucial challenge he anticipated was the need to develop an adequate capacity to conduct research. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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