The pandemic is not always about a disease but about the spread of the disease
Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Health Service Association (Adinkes) along with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs met to discuss efforts to strengthen healthcare facilities after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adinkes Chairman M. Subuh stated that the meeting in Yogyakarta on November 2-5 was themed "Strengthening Planning and Implementation of Post-Covid-19 Health Efforts."

"Whether or not there is a pandemic, health workers must be well prepared to anticipate any disease," Subuh emphasized on Wednesday.

The chairman later noted that the management of health services must be taken into account, especially with preparations pertaining to potential disasters that arise, including the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby making the role of health facilities important.

"The pandemic is not always about a disease but about the spread of the disease. Hence, we have to strengthen health services in order to suppress spread of the disease," Subuh remarked.

He noted that during the pandemic, apart from having to cure people of the disease, health workers must also help to suppress spread of the virus by conducting testing and tracing, as these two efforts are important in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

He then appealed to all parties to stay alert amid the spread of various infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic offers a momentum to strengthen the handling of infectious diseases, Subuh noted.

However, he admitted to an improvement in the current condition of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. The government was considered to be successful in controlling the virus spread.

"The government had successfully controlled the virus spread, but the people must stay vigilant as new cases were still emerging," he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Director-General of Regional Development from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sugeng Hariyono, highlighted the need for meticulous planning from all sectors to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in accordance with the government's budget.

Hariyano also supported information disclosure for prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure better problem solving.

"Health workers can analyze data and information to draw conclusions regarding existing phenomena and problems," he added.

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Translator: Hery Sidik, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
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