The Association of Pediatrics Societies of the South-East Asian Region (APSSEAR) was established with its mission of improving the health status of children living in the region and its surrounding areas.

It tries to fulfill its mission by establishing linkages amongst paediatricians in the region, providing them with educational programmes to enable them to improve the services they provide and at the same time advocating programmes and health care services to provide for overall benefit to children.

APSSEAR was formed on April 30, 1974, at a meeting held in Manila, Philippines in conjunction with the First Asian Congress of Pediatrics (ACP). Membership of the organisation would be confined only to national paediatric associations and if considered appropriate subspecialty societies of the region.

The essential objectives of APSSEAR, as set out in its Constitution, are: “Promotion of research in all aspects of Pediatrics, dissemination of knowledge in child health, organization of an Asian Congress of Pediatrics triennially and enhancement of national Pediatrics meeting.”

APPA now has 23 members in the Asia Pacific region comprising: Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Macau, Mongolia & North Korea.

APSSEAR is now known as Asia Pacific Pediatrics Association (APPA). It changed its name during the 35th Meeting of National Delegates of APPA that was held on September 9, 2012 in Sarawak, Malaysia in conjunction with the 14th Asia Pacific Congress of Pediatrics (APCP) and 4th Asia Pacific Congress of Pediatrics Nursing, organised from September 5-8, 2012. However, prior to that, in 2003, APPA was known as Asian Pacific Pediatrics Association when it changed its name during the 29th Council Meeting of National Delegates of APSSEAR that was held on Nov. 4, 2003 in conjunction with the 11th Asian Congress of Pediatrics (ACP) and the 1st Asian Congress of Pediatrics Nursing from Nov. 2-7, 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.

To date, 15 Asian Congresses of Paediatrics, now known as Asia Pacific Congress of Paediatrics (APCP) had been held and all were concluded with great success. The latest Congress was held in Hyderabad, India from January 21-24, 2016. The next venue for the 16th APCP will be held in Bali, Indonesia from August 25-29, 2018.

Besides these Congresses, keeping Asian paediatricians close to each other has also been attained by the unfailing twice a year publication of the APPA Bulletin (newsletter) which is distributed all over the world.

APPA had also published its own Journal – Asian-Oceanian Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health (AOJPCH) - since 2002 and is distributed among member countries and worldwide. The Journal will now be published on-line for convenience and to keep up with times and is named ‘Asia Pacific Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health (APJPCH)’. The first issue of the Journal is expected to be published in January 2018.

And true to its mission, APPA has created Working Committees: Injury and Injury Prevention, Child Abuse, Rights of Child and Childhood Gastro-enterology. It has also formed a Task Force on Obesity, Antimicrobial Resistance and Tuberculosis.

Apart from that, Fellowships for young paediatricians have also been established through APPA by the Division of Paediatrics and Child Health of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Malaysian Paediatrics Association and Taiwan Pediatrics Associaiton.

APPA has achieved great success all these years in fulfilling its objectives and goals. This is the fruit of joint efforts of the Association’s pioneer workers, past presidents, office-bearers and most importantly, of its members throughout the years.