Decentralization of health service launched
Decentralization of health service launched
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government was developing a project to help the regions
improve management of its health services in a bid to accelerate
the national decentralization program, Health Minister Ahmad
Suyudi said on Thursday.
He said that as part of the project local health officers,
community leaders and legislators would be trained to design and
implement the programs efficiently.
"The local administrations will be handed power to design and
supervise the programs, so everything will be conducted
transparently and targets can be achieved," Suyudi said.
He was speaking to reporters after launching the program at
the Cempaka Hotel. The project is funded by the Asian Development
Bank (ADB).
Suyudi said the centralized management of health planning and
implementation had failed to address problems in the regions as
each of them had different obstacles.
The red tape within the central government had also hampered
health services for the poor, he added.
The project is being developed in seven provinces, including
Aceh, Bali, Bengkulu, Central Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Riau and
East Nusa Tenggara.
The ADB has allocated US$65 million for the project, which
will be carried out in two phases between 2001 and 2005.
In the first phase ending this year, the Ministry of Health
and the ADB will jointly provide training programs for the local
administrations to formulate health development plans for its
regions.
It includes strengthening public health centers and reforming
the entire regional health system.
The second phase will be implemented in other provinces and
regencies beginning January next year.
Suyudi called on local leaders and councillors to support the
project in order to achieve the targets.
Jacques Jeugmans, a ADB official overseeing social affairs,
said Indonesia's health development was on the right track with
the decentralization.
According to him, the decentralization of the health sector
would carry both opportunities and risks for the relevant
regions.
"The decentralization will allow regions to plan, manage,
evaluate and asses its health services. In addition, they can
adapt national priorities according to their local needs,"
Jacques said.
He said the regions could explore many possibilities to
improve its health systems, including building partnerships
between the public and private sectors.
Jacques said the most important point was how to convince
local leaders and legislators that health was crucial in
attracting investment for regional development.
He warned of possible corruption if the program was not
managed properly. "Therefore, public involvement is needed to
supervise the decentralization project."