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| National Disaster Symposium 2024 at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) (Photo: Public Relations) |
The World Health Organization (WHO) and international organizations should learn disaster and health management from Indonesia. This was stated by Sumarjaya, Head of the Health Crisis Center of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, during the National Disaster Symposium 2024 at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) on October 16. The event was attended by students and professionals from fields such as sociology, nursing, pharmacy, medicine, and others.
Sumarjaya emphasized that disasters are always linked to health, and this aspect must always be considered. He explained that health crises are the result of natural, non-natural, and social disasters that impact public health. Disasters often result in casualties, disrupted access to services, limited human resources, and other challenges.
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He further explained that the Ministry of Health has a health reserve workforce program. This program consists of trained personnel prepared during the pre-crisis period, with training standards set by the government. The team includes volunteers and task specialists from both health and non-health sectors. Currently, 17,500 members have joined this health reserve workforce across Indonesia, demonstrating Indonesia’s strong disaster management capabilities.
“Indonesia faces a range of disasters like earthquakes, eruptions, floods, tsunamis, landslides, and more. Therefore, it's wrong to think we need to learn disaster management from abroad. Instead, they should learn from us. I also want to thank MDMC (Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center). Through Doctor Corona, MDMC has contributed to the formation of the health reserve workforce program,” he added.
On the other hand, Prasinta Dewi, Deputy for Prevention at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), reported that 1,560 disasters occurred in Indonesia from January to October 2024, resulting in numerous casualties. She explained that these disasters were triggered by hydrometeorological factors, leading to floods, extreme weather, and forest or land fires. According to The World Risk Index 2024, Indonesia ranks second out of 193 countries as the most vulnerable to disaster threats. This makes Indonesia a disaster risk laboratory for studying various risks.
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As a closing statement, Sinta highlighted the importance of collaboration with the government in disaster mitigation to minimize the impact and accelerate recovery. “Indonesia’s role is not only national but also international. For example, Indonesia has provided humanitarian aid to Palestine and Sudan 14 times in the past two years. This shows Indonesia's commitment to global humanitarian efforts,” she concluded. (zaf/wil/fajr)
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