Philippine Ambassador to Brunei H. E. Marian Jocelyn R. Tirol-Ignacio made a courtesy call on Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar, Minister of Health, on 06 September 2022 at the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Ambassador Tirol-Ignacio praised the policies and programs adopted by Brunei Darussalam under the guidance of His Majesty Sultan to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that the effectiveness of Brunei’s response is set to significantly hasten post-pandemic recovery and the onset of normalization.

Ambassador Tirol-Ignacio looked forward to the arrival of COVID-19 boosters against the omicron subvariant within the next few months. She thanked Dato Isham for the invaluable assistance extended by the MOH to the Filipino community in Brunei at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and MOH’s continued extension of COVID-19 vaccines to them. She also expressed requested support for Philippine Embassy efforts to expand its health screening services for Filipino nationals in Brunei.

Ambassador Tirol-Ignacio and Dato Mohammad Isham discussed developments on the first joint venture between the Far Eastern University (FEU) of the Philippines, Darussalam Assets, and the Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) to establish the JPMC College of Health Sciences (JPMC-CHS). Dato Mohammad Isham shared that the anticipated opening of the JPMC-CHS in October 2022 generated great interest, with the number of applicants for admission into the nursing program surpassing expectations. Full operations are expected to commence in early 2023. END