Australia aids RI health services
JAKARTA (JP): Australia will help Indonesia cope with its population and health problems.
Australian Minister for Health Dr. Carmen Lawrence said here yesterday that Australia wants to help Indonesia reduce its infant mortality rate.
According to the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) annual report, Indonesia's maternal and neo-natal mortality rates are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Actually we have no particular emphasis (on our projects), but maternal and children's health will be important because you still have high maternal mortality, especially in remote areas," Lawrence told The Jakarta Post.
Lawrence said that Australia had allocated A$1 million (Rp 1.5 billion), for this project alone. "The Australian aid funds will help Indonesia and Unicef extend and improve this program."
Touching on private sector cooperation, Lawrence said a number of Australian health-related businessmen are interested in investing their money here.
"We'll see significant investments, much in the form of joint ventures with existing hospitals or medical groups here," she said.
Indonesia's Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital on Wednesday signed a sister hospital agreement with St. Vincent Hospital Health Care Campus of Sydney and Melbourne.
Indonesian Minister of Health Sujudi and his counterpart Lawrence witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement, which will focus on creating training programs for Indonesia's doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.
Lawrence said that another Australian private company is interested in offering its expertise here in the form of hospitals or clinics.
"I spoke yesterday to people working for a company that is basically developing the idea of the clinic, focusing on kids with capacities of some sophisticated technology, and they claim they can do it at a very low cost.
"So, what they are selling to the Indonesian government is an idea or concept which could be applicable in remote areas or villages. But it obviously needs dollars from the Indonesian government," Lawrence stated.
Officials of the two countries yesterday also signed an agreement to cooperate on a major research program targeting population and health issues. (11)