ASEAN Countries Plan To Uniform Health Protocol Standards

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin revealed that member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) or countries in Southeast Asia will adopt each other's health protocol standards.

In a sense, the same health protocol can later be used by ASEAN member countries. Budi makes an analogy with the health protocol as a passport, so that if you go abroad legally you need a passport and the passport can be recognized in the destination country.

"In the future, we want the same thing to happen to the health sector," Budi said in a written statement, quoted on Sunday, May 15.

The same standard health protocol, said Budi, was made based on technology. Travelers who travel between countries will use a QR code that can be accessed via cellphone.

"Later on, we plan to cooperate with G20 countries. Hopefully, this initiative from ASEAN can converge digital technology," said Budi.

Furthermore, Budi said that ASEAN countries had also approved the establishment of the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) as an ASEAN collaboration center in dealing with extraordinary events (KLB) and pandemics in the future.

"There will be three pillars of ACPHEED, surveillance or detection, response, and risk management," said Budi.

Budi said the pillar would be supported by three ASEAN representative countries namely Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia to work together under one ACPHEED umbrella to deal with the potential for outbreaks.

"There will be a collaboration of three countries, each of which will build its office in their country for the three existing pillars," he said.

The working principle of ACPHEED is generally similar to that of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "In addition to disease emergencies, there is also extraordinary event risk management," he said