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."