Indonesia, E Timor Cooperate in the Field of Health

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Jan 14 Asia Pulse - The Indonesian government has accepted an offer from the East Timorese government to cooperate in the field of health and considers it as a breakthrough in the enhancement of their bilateral relations, Health Minister Dr Achmad Sujudi said here Monday.

In an interview with Antara after laying the first corner stone of a hospital and nursing academy campus for Belu district here, he said his East Timorese counterpart, Mario Araujo, had met with him in Jakarta to discuss the health cooperation.

In addition, East Timor had also asked for Indonesian assistance to train health officers.

East Timor's offer to cooperate in the health field was instantly accepted on the ground that many of that country's health officers are still able to speak Indonesian well and many of them got their basic health education from Indonesia in the past.

In East Timor, almost all paramedics, midwives and doctors learned at many higher learning institutes in Indonesia. In fact, East Timor's Health Minister Dr Araujo himself was a graduate of the Bali-based Udayana state university's medical school.

Because of East Timor's offer, he added, his side has expressed its readiness to cooperate in this field. East Timorese health officials could come to Indonesia for medical training or Indonesian doctors could come to East Timor to give the training.

Sujudi said East Timorese youths could also come to border area in East Nusa Tenggara to study at the Nursing Academy in Belu district.

"If the agreement to cooperate in health education between Indonesia and East Timor has been signed, East Timorese students will be allowed to stay in Atambua to continue their studies at the nursing academy," Sujudi said.

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