Australia aids RI health services
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)