After the inking of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the two parties in Jakarta on Tuesday, General Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah Executive Board Haedar Nashir said his side is ready to assist in the implementation of government health programs with its resources.
"We appreciate the work of Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who has made a breakthrough for the past two years in handling the pandemic. In Muhammadiyah, we are also developing the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) and other breakthrough programs in health development," Nashir stated.
Meanwhile, Minister Sadikin stated that the collaboration also included the implementation of a health system transformation program.
In conducting the transformation of primary health services, Muhammadiyah, through its subsidiary Aisyiyah, as well as health clinics spread across various regions can help disseminate information on promotive and preventive health programs implemented by the government.
"I think women are the best for educating on public health. We will definitely work together, including creating a health narrative packaged in the form of dissemination of information encouraged by Aisyiyah's women," he stated.
Sadikin also noted that Muhammadiyah has around 120 hospitals that can help the government to improve access and quality of health services in the regions.
"Muhammadiyah also has mobile hospitals, and that is something we can work together to help the country," he added.
Sadikin stated that his ministry will also adopt the health resilience system developed by Muhammadiyah through their MDMC.
He said that MDMC took part in earthquake emergency handling and recovery in Cianjur District, West Java Province.
"We will seek Muhammadiyah's permission to use the MDMC blueprint as a national health security system," he remarked.
The minister noted that Muhammadiyah also had the resources to support the transformation of human resource management in the health sector.
With 173 universities, Muhammadiyah can support the government to help address the shortage of health workers, especially in frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped areas (3T).
"The integration between the Muhammadiyah universities and hospitals will help us to develop integration between the university base and college base," Sadikin stated.
With universities and hospitals owned by Muhammadiyah, the minister is optimistic that the organization would help the government to develop health technology as well.
"This can be collaborated to align Indonesia's position in the field of biotechnology," he added.
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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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