"We agreed on two agreements here, namely, first, cooperation with all governors in Papua for the target of eliminating malaria in Papua by 2030," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin informed.
Second, the ministry has forged cooperation with the neighboring country of Papua New Guinea in anti-dengue efforts, the minister said at the 9th Asia Pacific Leaders' Summit on Malaria Elimination in Badung, Bali, on Tuesday.
Sadikin emphasized the importance of reducing the number of malaria cases in Papua, considering the province accounts for 90 percent of cases detected in the country.
He informed that out of the 514 districts and cities in Indonesia, only 79 percent have been declared malaria-free. The rest are mostly regions in Papua, he said.
"There are a few in Nusa Tenggara and Kalimantan, but if we can eliminate it in Papua, 90 percent (of cases) will be resolved," the minister explained.
During the summit on Tuesday, Sadikin presented awards to a number of regions in Indonesia that have reduced malaria cases. They included West Sumbawa district in West Nusa Tenggara, Aceh Jaya district in Aceh, and South Buru district in Maluku.
Those regions implemented innovative measures to reduce malaria cases, such as setting up village-level malaria posts and providing malaria education to the community.
On the same occasion, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Ribka Haluk, who was born in Papua, assured that she would take responsibility for guiding the regional heads in Papua.
She further said that the Ministry of Home Affairs needs to ensure that funds for malaria elimination are prepared by all six provinces of Papua.
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Translator: Ni Putu Putri, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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