Source: Modus; Jakarta, Indonesia; Monday, March 15, 2004

The Ministry of Health has received a grant from USAID/SOAG to support health decentralization through Management Sciences for Health (MSH).

The grant is given in the form of technical assistance in a bid to develop the competence of human resources in districts/municipalities in order to improve the performance of the implementation of obligatory functions and minimum service standards in the health sector.

The technical assistance is provided to 15 districts/municipalities which include Cianjur and Cirebon (West Java Province), Mojokerto, Probolinggo, Pasuruan, Kediri, and Blitar (East Java Province), West Lombok and East Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara Province), Musi Rawas, Lahat, Lubuk Linggau, and Pagar Alam (South Sumatra Province), Sambas and Pontianak (West Kalimantan Province).

In order to find out how far the performance improvement of services delivered to implement obligatory functions and minimum service standards in those 15 focus districts/municipalities has been achieved, a National Workshop on Performance Assessment and Improvement Process in support of the Implementation of Obligatory Functions and Minimum Service Standards of Essential Public Health Services in Districts/Municipalities was held. The workshop was opened by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, Dr, Dadi Argadireja, on behalf of the Minister of Health in Jakarta on Tuesday (March 9).

According to the Director of Health Research and Development Institute, Dr. Dini Latief MSc, pursuant to Law No. 22/1999 on Local Governance and Law No. 25/1999 on Fiscal Balance between the Central and Local Governments, the central government has transferred some of its authority to deliver public services to local governments.

She further explained that transferring regional autonomy to districts/municipalities would also mean transferring broad authority. In addition, the decentralized financial system which allocates fund to districts/municipalities through General Allocation Fund is not binding them to implement their functions. Therefore, in order to ensure that local governments will not neglect basic services to the community, the central government requires them to implement obligatory functions to protect the constitutional rights of an individual and the community.

In relation to that, the Minister of Health, Dr. Achmad Sujudi, has established Minimum Service Standards in the Health Sector in Districts/Municipalities through Decree No. 1457/X/2003. Article 2 of the decree requires districts/municipalities to deliver health services in accordance with the minimum services standards.

Outside those services, certain districts/municipalities must deliver certain services that are according to the local needs which include among others occupational health services, health services for the elderly, prevention and control of malaria, leprosy and filariasis.

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