The agreement will also help to strengthen the detection and response capacity ..."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek signed a cooperation agreement to prevent the outbreak of infectious diseases such as Ebola and MERS virus.
The cooperation includes certification of health facilities and infrastructure to develop an integrated health information system and to promote scientific research and development to improve the publics health, Minister Ryacudu stated here on Monday after signing the cooperation agreement.
"The agreement will also help to strengthen the detection and response capacity to chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear, and explosive hazards in the health field for boosting the states defense system," he added.
The cooperation is a step forward to create synergy between the two ministries in strengthening the states defense system in the health field.
The outbreaks of Ebola in Africa and MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus) in the Middle East are a cause of concern for the global community.
Therefore, Indonesia should stay on alert for such infectious diseases because every fatal disease could sooner or later affect national resilience, according to Ryacudu.
The defense minister and the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) have the required facilities, infrastructure, equipment, and human resources to deal with non-military threats in the health field.
Minister Moeloek affirmed that the cooperation agreement is strategic in improving the publics health.
Maintaining good health is everyones responsibility, and therefore, it needs the support of every stakeholder, including from the defense ministry, she added.
"I hope this cooperation agreement can be implemented well and can be useful for the public, including the TNI soldiers who can avail quality medical services," she stated.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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