RI to host int'l health conference
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi announced yesterday that Indonesia would hold the fourth International Conference on Health Promotion.
Sujudi told a news meeting that this would make Indonesia the first developing country to hold the conference. The four-day conference will begin July 21.
He was accompanied yesterday by the ministry's Secretary- General Hidajat Hardjoprawito, Director of Public Health Dahroni and World Health Organization medical officer Kokila Vaidya.
The conference, organized by the World Health Organization and the government, aimed to review and evaluate health promotion on a global scale, identify practical and innovative strategies for future activities and develop partnerships in health promotion for the 21st century, he said.
He said that 250 participants from 90 countries were expected to attend the conference to be opened by President Soeharto. Another 150 experts were expected to attend as observers.
Sujudi said Indonesia was chosen to host the conference because of its success in promoting health for 200 million people. Indonesia was a model for other developing countries.
Indonesia Day would be launched at the conference to show Indonesia's health promotion developments which focused on prevention and raising public awareness, the minister said.
The "Jakarta Declaration" is to be issued on the last day of the conference to announce successful principles, future strategies, priorities, developing partnerships and innovative health promotion efforts in developing and other countries.
The first conference was held in Ottawa, Canada, in 1986, the second in Adelaide, Australia, in 1988 and the third in Sundswall, Sweden, in 1991.
In a related development, Indonesia has officially nominated Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei for the position of World Health Organization (WHO) director general for 1998-2001.
Uton is currently WHO Regional Director for South and South East Asia.
Sujudi said during a hearing with the House commission on health that Indonesia has the support of the majority of member countries of the WHO Executive Council.
The election of a new WHO director general will take place in Geneva in January 1998 with 32 members of the WHO Executive Council taking part. An expert of the Health Minister, Broto Wasisto, is member of the Executive Council.
Indonesia, along with Buthan and Thailand, is member of the WHO Executive Council for South and South East Asia.
Indonesia will therefore take part in discussing, formulating and setting the main guidelines of various world health issues, in addition to the election of a WHO Director General, whose term will end in 1998.(01)