JAKARTA, Sept 8 — Indonesian Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono outlined three important points for Asean countries to implement in a bid to establish sustainable health services, Antara news agency.
"First, by strengthening health promotion efforts," he remarked at the 2023 Asean+ Youth Summit 2023 that was attended virtually in Jakarta on Friday.
The 2023 Asean+ Youth Summit is a youth forum held on September 6-8, 2023, as part of the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta. This event is initiated by the non-political youth organisation -- Indonesian Youth Diplomacy — and will be attended by more than 10 heads of state and global leaders, as well as two thousand young participants comprising more than 20 Asean and Asean+ countries.
Harbuwono emphasised that in order to achieve the first point, Asean countries should change their perspective on disease management from curative treatment to prevention and from exclusive health services to inclusive ones, as well as start to create a movement instead of a programme.
According to the deputy minister, the Asean also needs to take a cue from India and Cuba, as countries with health expenditures smaller than their gross domestic product (GDP).
"That could happen because they strengthen their health promotion efforts to be able to prevent disease rather than treat the disease," he remarked.
He noted that the health promotion included vaccinations, healthy lifestyles, health education, and early detection of certain diseases.
The second point highlighted by Harbuwono is to increase the digitalisation of health services, as an effort to fulfill essential sectors for health service facilities.
"Digitalisation helps to provide comprehensive data to regulate health policies based on cases and resources' allocation, as well as identify disparities in health services," Harbuwono stated.
The deputy minister also drew attention to the third point pertaining to creating health policies that are able to realise sustainable, equal, and quality health services for everyone.
Hence, Harbuwono invited the Asean+ Youth Summit delegates to work together to create a movement that can deliver real changes for a brighter future in the region.
— Bernama-Antara
