KUALA LUMPUR: Side discussions on transboundary haze will be held although the issue is not on the agenda of the Asean Health Ministers Meeting, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said the matter could also be discussed during meetings among senior officials.
Asked whether Malaysia planned to discuss the issue with Indonesia bilaterally, Dzulkefly said the matter had been raised.
“We must follow through again,” the Health Minister said at a press conference for the 17th Asean Health Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings here yesterday.
Dzulkefly said discussions with Indonesia covered initiatives related to digital health, traditional and complementary medicine, and cross-border healthcare, among other matters.
Indonesia has recently seen an alarming surge in land and forest fires, with thick haze from Kalimantan reaching Malaysia.
Transboundary haze has become an annual problem, largely attributed to slash-and-burn practices used to clear land in Indonesia.
Forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas reported that about 182,000ha of land and forest were burned in July alone, nearly double the area recorded in the first half of the year.
