Pattaya, Thailand, 8–10 October 2025 – The Regional Public Health Laboratory (RPHL) Network successfully convened its Annual Meeting 2025, held back-to-back with the Workshop on Governance, Resource Mobilization, and Communications under the theme “Sustaining and Fortifying for the Future.”
The three-day event brought together over 50 participants from 11 RPHL Network member countries, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Viet Nam, along with Subject Matter Experts on Quality Management Systems and representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Mekong Institute. Mr. Patrick Royle, Lead of the Laboratory Systems Integration Fund (LSIF) from the Global Fund, also joined the sessions online.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Jintana Sriwongsa, Regional Programme Director of the RPHL Network, emphasized the importance of the workshop as a collaborative platform for members to shape the Network’s strategic direction through open dialogue and joint planning. “This workshop marks an important step toward strengthening the RPHL Network’s foundation, by enhancing trust, coordination, and shared commitment among all members and partners,” said Ms. Jintana.
Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of the Mekong Institute, underscored that good governance, resource mobilization, and communication are vital stalks to elevating the Network’s visibility and credibility within the regional and global health landscape.
Throughout the three-day gathering, participants engaged in interactive discussions and planning exercises to define concrete next steps and priorities for the coming year, focusing on three key areas:
Governance
- Finalize the revised Terms of Collaboration and complementary Terms of Reference (ToRs)
- Advance the process toward foundation registration of the RPHL Network
Resource Mobilization
- Finalize and enrich the External Quality Assessment (EQA) Catalogue
- Facilitate EQA sharing among member laboratories
- Develop draft proposals for key priorities/initiatives
- Draft resources mobilization plan
Communication
- Develop RPHL Network branding guidelines
- Enhance communication activities and stakeholder engagement
The workshop concluded with a refreshing team-building activity by the sea, strengthening relationships and reinforcing the collaborative spirit that defines the RPHL Network.
As the Network moves forward, the Annual Meeting reaffirmed the collective commitments from RPHL Network members and partners to establish a functional and sustainable regional mechanism for public health laboratories across Asia and the Pacific.
