Western Pacific Countries Forge Regional Action Plan for Infection-Free Healthcare by 2030

The 2025 WHO workshop in Manila united experts from 11 countries to strengthen infection prevention and control systems across the Western Pacific, focusing on data, workforce, and political commitment. It outlined a regional roadmap to make IPC a core pillar of patient safety and health system resilience by 2030.

The Workshop on Strengthening Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in the Western Pacific Region, organized by the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) in collaboration with research and health institutes such as the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the Japan Institute for Health Security, and Griffith University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, was held in Manila, Philippines, from 16 to 18 September 2025. The meeting convened 30 experts, including representatives from 11 member states, advisers, and WHO staff, to confront the urgent challenges of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The event aimed to convert evidence-based insights into actionable strategies to reinforce infection control systems and elevate patient safety across the region.

Confronting the Burden of Healthcare-Associated Infections

The report opens by highlighting the immense toll HAIs continue to exact on global health systems, raising morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs while undermining patient trust. Effective IPC, it stresses, is the cornerstone of safe and high-quality care, and an essential tool in combating antimicrobial resistance. Many drug-resistant infections stem from preventable lapses in infection control, making IPC interventions both a public health and economic imperative. Findings from the 2022 WHO global IPC minimum requirements survey revealed persistent weaknesses: numerous countries still lack operational IPC programmes or surveillance systems capable of generating reliable data. Between 2021 and 2023, the WHO Regional Office conducted in-depth assessments in six countries, identifying monitoring and evaluation as one of the weakest areas. Pacific Island states, meanwhile, face structural barriers such as limited internet connectivity and time zone disparities that complicate regional cooperation.

Building Consensus and Defining Priorities

The Manila workshop was designed to bridge these gaps by aligning regional strategies with the Global Action Plan and Monitoring Framework for Infection Prevention and Control (2024–2030), adopted at the 2024 World Health Assembly. Participants sought to develop practical, evidence-based national plans for IPC and HAI surveillance, establish measurable regional benchmarks, and create a learning network to facilitate collaboration across borders. The event gathered officials and health professionals from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam, among others. Through plenary sessions, roundtables, and group discussions, participants reviewed existing IPC frameworks, assessed national capacities, and identified priorities to accelerate progress toward the 2030 global targets.

Data, Workforce, and Leadership: The Three Pillars of Progress

Discussions during the workshop revealed that IPC is not just a technical requirement but a system-wide necessity that supports patient safety and strengthens health infrastructure. Reliable, standardized data were recognized as the lifeblood of effective IPC programmes. Without robust surveillance, timely feedback, and clear data-use mechanisms, progress cannot be sustained. The workforce challenge also took center stage. Many countries struggle to retain skilled IPC professionals, and health systems often lack structured training and career pathways. Participants called for innovative, competency-based education models, mentorship, and leadership development to ensure continuity. Financial and institutional barriers persist, with many governments providing insufficient funding or failing to fully integrate IPC into national health strategies. Limited engagement of the private sector further complicates efforts. Still, there was a strong consensus that peer learning and regional solidarity, through regular exchange of knowledge and experience, are key to maintaining momentum and overcoming these systemic obstacles.

From Commitment to Action: The Road Ahead

A recurring message across the three-day meeting was the vital importance of political commitment and sustained financing. IPC, participants agreed, must be embedded in health policies, budgets, and national strategies rather than treated as a crisis response. The workshop concluded that while progress has been made, significant gaps remain in data reliability, workforce retention, and consistent funding. To transform dialogue into tangible outcomes, participants endorsed a seven-point framework for action: strengthening regional monitoring systems; finalizing and implementing the Regional Action Plan (RAP) for IPC; investing in workforce development; improving data quality and timeliness; tailoring support to country needs; fostering peer-learning networks; and securing high-level political and financial commitment. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific pledged to continue supporting member states through tailored technical assistance, virtual exchanges, and sustained regional collaboration.

A Shared Vision for 2030

The workshop closed on a note of optimism, driven by the diversity and expertise of its participants, from institutions such as Peking University First Hospital, The Pacific Community (Fiji), and Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. The report’s annexes document an intensive three-day schedule filled with interactive sessions and collaborative reviews, underscoring the region’s determination to institutionalize infection prevention as a pillar of quality healthcare. The spirit of partnership captured in the group photo, leaders, researchers, and practitioners standing together under a canopy of national flags, symbolizes the workshop’s central message: that infection prevention is a shared responsibility and a collective achievement. If the Manila commitments are carried forward with the same resolve, the Western Pacific Region could stand as a global model for resilient, safe, and infection-free health systems by 2030.