Innovative and effective resource sharing mechanisms to promote and sustain health research in the Philippines - is what the key actors and stakeholders of the Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) shared and discussed on 11 August 2010 during the last day of the PNHRS Week.

Stakeholders agreed to act as one through swift, aggressive and essential approaches in order to achieve better health for all. Hence, better linkage and focus on the National Unified Health Research Agenda and pushing forward the enactment of the PNHRS bill, at the local level, were emphasized.

As the regions are at the helm of the PNHRS, they too aptly shared good practices in resource sharing, such as converging and soliciting commitment of various institutions from different sectors and disciplines, engaging in collaborative health researches, mentoring of young researchers, and providing of counterpart fund, staff support, time as well as sharing of facilities/infrastructure, expertise, materials and information.

Winners of the Outstanding Health Research Award were also recognized, among which include the Institute of Human Genetics of the National Institutes of Health in UP Manila, Dr. Bayani Blas of Dona Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation in Region 8, and Dr. Enrique Ona of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute for their work on new born screening, control and prevention of schistosomiasis, and kidney transplantation, respectively.

Research results from young researchers were also pushed to the limelight as the poster exhibit in this year's event focused on "Local Solutions for Local Health Problems".

With the theme "Convergence in Divergence: Resource Sharing for More Mileage in Health Research", the two-day 4th PNHRS Week celebration ended with the participants and stakeholders going back to their respective institutions with better ideas and more zest to get their acts together in moving forward the PNHRS.