RI to host int'l health conference

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)