RI to face new health problems: WHO

RI to face new health problems: WHO

JAKARTA (JP): Today's children will not only face the threat
of infectious disease they will also have to deal with the
growing incidence of non-communicable disease, a World Health
Organization (WHO) official said yesterday.

WHO representative to Indonesia, Robert J. Kim-Farley, told
the fourth International Conference on Health Promotion that
Indonesia was due to face more non-communicable diseases because
of urbanization, changes in lifestyles, eating habits and
increased tobacco use.

The five-day conference, emphasizing partnerships between the
government, the private sector and non-governmental
organizations, will end Friday. The conference will issue The
Jakarta Declaration on health promotion for the future when it
concludes.

Infectious diseases like measles and polio have been greatly
reduced in Indonesia while non-communicable diseases like heart
disease, cancer and stroke were increasing in prevalence with
longer lives, he said.

President Soeharto opened the conference. He hailed
Indonesia's progress in health promotion including increasing
life expectancies from 46 in 1967 to 65 almost 30 years later.

Soeharto said the fruits of development had brought improved
incomes of US$ 1,000 today from $70 about 25 years ago, lowered
infant mortality rates to 50 deaths for 100,000 births in 1996
from 145 deaths for 100,000 births in 1967.

Maternal mortality rates had been greatly reduced from 450
deaths for 100,000 deaths in 1985 to 390 deaths for 100,000
births in 1990, he said.

He said that improved human resources would be the main
priority for the Second 25-Year Development Plan.

Kim-Farley said that Indonesia was the first developing
country to host the conference because of its health promotion
programs, including National Immunization Week held twice yearly
for 20 million children nationwide over the last two years.

He hailed the de-worming and Clean Friday programs for
children, who are given medication against worms and information
on hygiene to prevent infection.

He said the Ministry of Health was undertaking research
through its National Institute of Health to seek the primary
causes of non-communicable diseases. Another program, the Monika
monitoring program for cardiovascular diseases had been going on
for 10 years.

He cited the efforts of the offices of the State Minister of
Sports and Youth, State Minister of Women's Roles and the
National Family Planning Board to promote reproductive health
programs such as the Safe Motherhood program. (01)