Govt should give more care to health
Govt should give more care to health
JAKARTA (JP): Senior economist Emil Salim called on the
government on Wednesday to pay more attention to healthcare and
make the issue a priority in its development programs.
Emil, former state minister of environment, told a seminar on
Wednesday that the government had abandoned the issue.
"Decision makers think health issues are not politically
'sexy'. They rarely put health matters on their agenda," he said.
"Health has been considered an external factor in development
schemes," he added.
He said patients were forced to bear health costs.
"By allocating for healthcare costs in the development budget,
health services can be made free of charge," he said.
Healthcare professionals, Emil added, are excluded from
economic development committees and therefore unable to push for
healthcare issues in government policies.
"On the other hand, other development sectors contribute to
illnesses, for example, by causing pollution" he said.
Tax policies, he said, were only designed to earn income and
did not consider public health, citing taxes on vegetable, fruits
and milk.
"Therefore, health should be included as important factor in
economic development," Emil said.
The seminar also marked the establishment of Healthy Indonesia
2010 Foundation (YIS2010), a nonprofit organization aimed at
promoting better health and increasing people's awareness on
health.
One of YIS2010's founders, the newly-elected chairman of the
Indonesian Doctors Association Farid Anfasa Moeloek said
healthcare have long been only perceived as a way to cure
illnesses.
"While, it's actually much wider than that," he told
reporters.
Healthcare, Farid said, should be perceived as people's basic
right and an investment for the future.
Other sectors that contribute to illness, like factories which
cause pollution, should be penalized for violating people's
rights, he added.
"If there is an Environmental Impact Assessment, there should
also be Health Impact Assessment," he said.
In an effort to disseminate more information on health issues,
the foundation has launched a health portal on
http://www.sehat2010.com.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Center for Health Service
Management of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University's School of
Medicine, also launched a health website during the Indonesian
Hospitals Association (Persi) Congress at the Jakarta Convention
Center.
The website is focusing on decentralization of health services
and can be accessed at http://www.desentralisasi-kesehatan.net.
The website will also be a communication forum for those
involved in the decentralization process.
" Latest information, research and literature on health are
also available at this website," Laksono Trisnantoro, director of
the center and a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University's School of
Medicine, told reporters.
Also provided at the website are other countries' experiences
in implementing health service decentralization, a mailing list
and message board, links to online media and University Gadja
Mada's activities related to health service decentralization.
"This website hopefully will build a network between
healthcare professionals in the regions and in the capital,"
Laksono said. (hdn)
JAKARTA (JP): Senior economist Emil Salim called on the
government on Wednesday to pay more attention to healthcare and
make the issue a priority in its development programs.
Emil, former state minister of environment, told a seminar on
Wednesday that the government had abandoned the issue.
"Decision makers think health issues are not politically
'sexy'. They rarely put health matters on their agenda," he said.
"Health has been considered an external factor in development
schemes," he added.
He said patients were forced to bear health costs.
"By allocating for healthcare costs in the development budget,
health services can be made free of charge," he said.
Healthcare professionals, Emil added, are excluded from
economic development committees and therefore unable to push for
healthcare issues in government policies.
"On the other hand, other development sectors contribute to
illnesses, for example, by causing pollution" he said.
Tax policies, he said, were only designed to earn income and
did not consider public health, citing taxes on vegetable, fruits
and milk.
"Therefore, health should be included as important factor in
economic development," Emil said.
The seminar also marked the establishment of Healthy Indonesia
2010 Foundation (YIS2010), a nonprofit organization aimed at
promoting better health and increasing people's awareness on
health.
One of YIS2010's founders, the newly-elected chairman of the
Indonesian Doctors Association Farid Anfasa Moeloek said
healthcare have long been only perceived as a way to cure
illnesses.
"While, it's actually much wider than that," he told
reporters.
Healthcare, Farid said, should be perceived as people's basic
right and an investment for the future.
Other sectors that contribute to illness, like factories which
cause pollution, should be penalized for violating people's
rights, he added.
"If there is an Environmental Impact Assessment, there should
also be Health Impact Assessment," he said.
In an effort to disseminate more information on health issues,
the foundation has launched a health portal on
http://www.sehat2010.com.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Center for Health Service
Management of Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University's School of
Medicine, also launched a health website during the Indonesian
Hospitals Association (Persi) Congress at the Jakarta Convention
Center.
The website is focusing on decentralization of health services
and can be accessed at http://www.desentralisasi-kesehatan.net.
The website will also be a communication forum for those
involved in the decentralization process.
" Latest information, research and literature on health are
also available at this website," Laksono Trisnantoro, director of
the center and a lecturer at Gadjah Mada University's School of
Medicine, told reporters.
Also provided at the website are other countries' experiences
in implementing health service decentralization, a mailing list
and message board, links to online media and University Gadja
Mada's activities related to health service decentralization.
"This website hopefully will build a network between
healthcare professionals in the regions and in the capital,"
Laksono said. (hdn)