ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesia has just hosted a meeting of Global Fund board members throughout Southeast Asia.
A total of 9 countries taking part in the meeting consisted of three Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Thailand and Timor Leste, and six South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The meeting was held in a hybrid manner, namely online via zoom meeting and offline in Jakarta, on Thursday, March 7 2024. The meeting discussed a number of things, namely the current situation of HIV, TB and Malaria, advocacy plans at the 51st Global Fund Board Meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2024.
The discussion also discussed the transmission of cases between countries, especially malaria, sustainability, and the transition of the Global Fund budget to financing through each country’s State Revenue and Expenditure Budget.
Indonesia, which will become a Global Fund Board Member representing Southeast Asia in the 2024-2026 period, can strengthen its role in global health.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dante Harbuwono, as an alternate board member, said that as part of the constituency leadership, he is tasked with supporting board members and overcoming various difficulties. However, he also said that this task was not easy.
“As a wise man once said, “it’s impossible until it’s done.” “However, I am determined that I can do it together with all of you, and I also know that everyone is always present and supports each other,” said Prof. Dante, as quoted from a press release, Monday, March 18 2024.
Prof. Dante continued, the efforts made so far have provided very good results. Since 2022, the program with support from the Global Fund has allocated nearly 100,000 antiretroviral therapy for HIV sufferers, 200,000 treatment packages for TB sufferers, and 4.4 million mosquito nets for families.
“We still have a long way to go. We stand at a critical moment to advance the mission of eliminating three diseases with a new Global Fund grant cycle. “We have the opportunity to expand the scope for detection, treatment and prevention. More importantly, we are also tasked with balancing the budget from domestic sources,” said Prof. Dante.
“As the fight against these three diseases has been going on for decades, we must believe that we will be able to reach the finish line in the near future. “Determination and good coordination are very important things to achieve this victory,” said Prof. Dante.
Prof. Dante then gave an example of one of the lessons learned from a national hero who used three strategies to achieve victory.
First, understand the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses and the battlefield landscape.
Second, mobilize local support by mobilizing local allies and supporters to strengthen their troops.
Lastly, be adaptive and flexible by continuously adjusting your strategy based on enemy movements and circumstances.
Professor Dante hopes that the strategy used will be used to combat three deadly diseases, namely HIV, TB and Malaria. (ATN)
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