For many years there was discussion within the Lao Ministry of Health about the possibility to establish an Institut Pasteur in Lao PDR in order to promote research and training and also to provide the Ministry of Health with evidenced-based results to help formulate National health policy. Lao PDR, like Vietnam and Cambodia and China, wanted it own modern research facility to investigate infectious diseases.

 

In 2003, with the emergence of SARS coronavirus and Avian Influenza H5N1 in Southeast Asia the former Minister of Health, Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy consulted with the Lao Government and made a formal request to Institut Pasteur in Paris. Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy stated that Lao PDR was ill equipped and ill-staffed to deal with emerging infectious disease and needed a modern research facility to diagnose and mitigate emerging and re-emerging vial infections. Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy said he “did not want Lao PDR to be a disseminator of emerging viruses”. Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy and the Lao government renewed their request to establish an Institut Pasteur in Laos (IPL) for several years. After a number of exploratory feasibility studies, Institut Pasteur in Paris agreed to assist the Lao government to establish the Institut Pasteur of Laos as a Lao national institute for research and training on infectious diseases (confer statutes of IP Laos) and on the 16 November 2007 the former Prime Minister, Bouasone Bouphavanh, signed a decree for the creation of Institut Pasteur of Laos.

 

A year after the Prime Minister’s signature the world economy plunged into the most severe economic recession since of the great depression of the 1930’s jeopardizing the newly promulgated Institut Pasteur of Laos. However, the team in charge of the fund raising and construction of the Institute, under the guidance of Dr. Ponmek Dalaloy, slowly but surely achieved their objective and the Institut Pasteur of Laos was inaugurated on the first day of the Chinese New Year, 23 January 2012.