Bali, 15/11/2022 – The Republic of Indonesia and the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed to establish a multi-country training hub for health emergency operational readiness and Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs). The new training hub will increase the capacity of Indonesia, other countries in Asia, and beyond to act quickly when an emergency strikes.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed today, outlines the modes of cooperation and collaboration between Indonesia and WHO, and builds on measures implemented by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health, in line with a Presidential decree, to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and other health security issues. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some of the gaps in national capacity, especially in having sufficient personnel with the range and breadth of expertise required. Having skilled emergency medical teams is part of the solution, but training these teams requires substantive investments, sustained focus, and specialist support, which not all countries are able to access independently. This makes multi country cooperation vital, and underlines the importance of the hub.
The multi-country training hub will enable Indonesia and other countries to have complementary training through new innovative training packages including simulation exercises. The training will cover a range of areas, including managing public health emergencies, medical and logistical management, and the medical, social, and economic impact of emergencies. The WHO Emergency Medical Teams secretariat manages the training, capacity building, standard setting and quality assurance processes for the global Initiative and support countries and regions in coordinating response operations with EMTs.
The EMT 2030 strategy envisions a world in which every country has the capacity to respond rapidly and effectively to national emergencies, leveraging regional and sub-regional capacities to support vulnerable communities. The Republic of Indonesia is taking concrete steps towards this goal with the launch of the hub. Prior to this, the Minister of Defense explored the collaboration with WHO in November 2020 and conducted a follow-up meeting with the WHO Director-General in June 2021. Civil-military collaboration has emerged as one of the most reliable partnerships during an emergency. The agreement will explore improving civil-military cooperation, the dissemination of EMT medical standards, research and development efforts.
The Ministry of Health will play the critical role of bridging the adaptation of the EMT standards to local context as well as facilitating knowledge exchange with other countries to strengthen EMT capacities globally. The -country training hub will be located at the Republic of Indonesia Defense University (RIDU).
The MoU was signed by Indonesian Minister of Defense Ir. Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Health Ir. Budi Gunadi Sadikin and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in conjunction with the implementation of the G20 activities held in Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia, on 15 – 16 November 2022.
Also present was the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Prof. Dr. H. Moh. Mahfud Mahmodin, S.H., S.U., M.I.P., who represents the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, the WHO
Country Representative to Indonesia, Dr N. Paranietharan and and officials from the Ministries of Defense, Health, Foreign Affairs, and a delegation from the Republic of Indonesia Defense University (RIDU).
This initiative is supported by WHO Headquarters, WHO South-East Asia Regional Office and Country Office in Indonesia.
Note to the editor
EMTs are an important part of the global health workforce and have a specific role. Any doctor, nurse or paramedic within a country or deployed internationally to deliver direct clinical care in an emergency needs to come as a member of a team. That team must have training, standards operating procedures, equipment and supplies so it can respond with success rather impose a burden on the national system. EMTs must strive for self-sufficiency, meet the minimum standards for EMTs, and provide the quality of care that is appropriate for the context.
For more background on emergency medical teams: https://www.who.int/emergencies/partners/emergency-medical-teams