A participant of environmental health surveillance training from the Center for Environmental and Industrial Health Studies of the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia, tries to measure water quality under a collaboration program with the World Health Organisation (WHO). (Photo: en.antaranews.com) Jakarta (VNA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) and theEuropean Union (EU) have agreed to cooperate to strengthen Indonesia's healthresilience system to help the country face future COVID-19 pandemic waves.
In a press release issued on February 20, N. Paranietharan, WHO representative for Indonesia, informed that thecollaboration will focus on building health system resilience and increasingaccess to essential health services.
According to Paranietharan, many lessons have been drawn from theCOVID-19 crisis. However, no lesson is moreimportant than the need for solidarity between countries and partners inprotecting health, well-being, and strengthening emergency responsepreparedness and capacity.
The EU has been supportingfunding for eight ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, for responding to theCOVID-19 crisis through the Southeast Asia Health Pandemic Response andPreparedness programme, which has been running for the past three years, he said.
Paranietharan added the initiativeseeks to support the efforts of the WHO and the Indonesian Health Ministry tostrengthen health system resilience and reduce disruptions of essential healthservices in the world's fourth-most populous country by focusing on vulnerableand marginalised groups.
Apart from supporting the strengthening of thehealth system, the initiative is playing an important role in buildingcross-stakeholder mechanisms, such as intra-action studies, which bringtogether a number of key ministries, academic institutions, and civil societyorganizations, to strengthen Indonesia's pandemic preparedness and responsestrategy.
According to him, the collaboration will alsoadjust with international best practices and promote joint health action acrossgovernments and society. The initiative will also help establish alaboratory information management system and ensure that more than 1,000 laboratoriesin Indonesia are equipped to carry out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testsand genome sequencing, which remains an important priority.
The initiative will empower more than 900 health workers acrossIndonesia to maintain access to quality essential health services at hospitalsand community health centers, including COVID-19 case management, maternal andchild health, immunisation, telemedicine, environmental health surveillance,and emergency health services.
EU Ambassador to Indonesia Denis Chaibi said that thefunding from the European Union reflects its commitment to strengtheningpandemic prevention, preparedness, and response and providing real results inthe field. The ambassador said that the multi-year partnership between the WHOand the EU is in line with Indonesia's health transformation agenda, which waslaunched in 2022 to provide long-term benefits, as it seeks to help prepare forand prevent health crises such as COVID-19 outbreaks, influenza, and other respiratorydiseases.
The WHO has also committed to helping the Indonesian governmentstrengthen the national laboratory network, improve surveillance, and intensifyintersectoral coordination.
✤ The effort will also complementprimary health services, help tackle non-communicable diseases, and controlantimicrobial resistance, in addition to addressing cross-sector challengessuch as climate change, gender equality, human rights, and disability inclusion./.
