Ethical commitment and mutual trust among institutions, healthcare workers and patients is necessary to attain universal health coverage, said Peru's Health Minister Patricia Garcia Funegra.
Remarks were made during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2016 Business Ethics for SMEs Forum.
The event gathered representatives from the bloc's 21 member economies.
"It is such a pleasure to join this forum and see the private and public sectors, as well as the civil society, work together," the minister stated.
"If each part of society gets involved, and we put the human being at the heart of our daily practice, health services will be improved," she added.
Garcia also highlighted the need to integrate ethics into the economy to support sustainable growth. "The challenge is just beginning, there is much work to do."
The workshops, seeking to promote the adoption of ethic codes based on APEC principles, have been held in Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, China and the Philippines, among other nations.
Model for ethical collaboration
Peru took the initiative to elaborate a consensual framework for multisectorial ethical collaboration in the country's pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors.
On a regional level, it is the first statement to acknowledge ethical behavior must serve to ensure that decision-making is focused on the human being as ultimate goal.
(END) NDP/LIT/MVB