"Today I would like to reiterate three important points. The first is to encourage investment in Puskesmas (Community Health Centers) as entry points to the entire health system. The progress of primary health care is very important," said Sadikin when opening the ASEAN-US Special Meeting here on Sunday.
Sadikin, who is also the Chief Minister of Health throughout ASEAN, said that health care facilities at the primary level are a means of health promotion that must be strengthened so that people can adopt a healthy lifestyle so as to reduce the financial burden of the state in treating patients.
Primary health care facilities are also important to ensure access to care for vulnerable groups so that their rights can be fulfilled equitably, said the minister.
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He also encouraged the US government's support for the development of vaccine production, therapy and diagnostic tools in the ASEAN region by increasing technology transfer and research and development capacity, especially from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries.
Another collaboration is to build the capacity of health workers. "Even if everything is well-organized, it will mean nothing without trained and well-performing health workers," he said.
Ministers of health from all over ASEAN welcomed the US support for the ASEAN region which had been realized through vaccine assistance up to the development of a health emergency coordination system.
"I would like to thank the United States for its USD40 million support through the US-ASEAN Health Futures at the October 2021 Summit as a form of concern for accelerating joint research, strengthening health system capacity, and increasing the capacity of the next generation of health workers," he said.
At the ASEAN-US Special Summit in Washington DC on May 12-13, 2021, Minister Sadikin said that President Joe Biden was committed to strengthening partnerships with ASEAN Leaders by providing assistance of more than 116 million doses of vaccine to ASEAN member countries.
Sadikin also appreciated the US support for the initiative to develop the ASEAN Public Health Emergency Coordination System (APHECS) and the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED). "The US has laid the groundwork for regional preparedness and response to future public health emergencies," he said.
The ASEAN-US special meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, said Sadikin, became a momentum to share experiences and to agree on cooperation in developing a work plan for three years.
"I believe that the US expertise, knowledge and experience will benefit the future of the health sector in ASEAN," he said.
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Translator: Katriana
Editor: Suharto
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