Health ministry improves emergency response system

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Health is developing an integrated emergency system in which the police, fire fighters and ambulance services will be coordinated under one dispatch center in each area so as to ensure more timely responses.

Aryono D. Pusponegoro, the coordinator of the Disaster Relief Brigade (BSB) at the Ministry of Health, said on Saturday that the project, dubbed Safe Community, was being undertaken to improve the current emergency response system under which there was little coordination between the relevant agencies.

The dispatch centers would be housed in the offices of governors, mayors, regents and village chiefs.

He said that the emergency system in Indonesia was not working well and was far below international standards.

In reality, emergencies not only involved traffic accidents or natural disasters, but also communal unrest, he said.

"Part of the problem is that our emergency response system is disorganized," Aryono said during a discussion on evacuation procedures held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Jakarta over the weekend.

We could contact the police, fire fighters and health services by dialing a certain number. But they still worked alone, Aryono said.

"People on the street are always the first to witness accidents or disasters. They have to know how to help victims until the police or ambulance arrives," Aryono said.

Guntur Bambang H. Murwono, director of basic medical services at the Ministry of Health, said that at present, to support the "Safe Community" program, the ministry was preparing community health centers (Puskesmas) to handle emergency cases in remote areas by further educating doctors and improving infrastructure.

"The Puskesmas only deal with communicable diseases. But accidents or disasters are also important. Since they spearhead health services to the public, they need to learn how to handle them," Guntur explained.

He said that the Puskesmas could also train members of the community in first aid skills and develop networks with the police and fire fighters. According to Guntur, the system was currently being developed in Yogyakarta, Bali, and Makassar in South Sulawesi.