September 4, 2006

 

Indonesia may hike 2007 bird flu budget to US$100 million

 

 

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla Friday (Sep 1) said the government may respond to urging from international donors to strengthen its commitment to the H5N1 bird flu fight in 2007.

 

"Next year, we plan to raise the budget for bird flu to US$100 million," Kalla told reporters, adding that "we will discuss this further".

 

However, Kalla did not specify whether this statement meant that the government would add US$100 million to the total anti-H5N1 budget from its own pocket, or whether it would provide sufficient funds to take the overall budget to that level, in conjunction with increased donor funding pledges.

 

Kalla's statement reflected the confusion and indecision that surrounds government decisions on H5N1 budgeting, and which has gained widespread criticism.

 

But the government has done little to address these concerns.

 

Former Ministry of Agriculture Director of Animal Health Tri Satya Putri Naipospos recently said the government was disorganised, and did not take H5N1 seriously.

 

However, the government fired Naipospos for similar statements made earlier this year, rather than taking more substantial action.

 

Kalla's statement was in response to international donors' concerns over the government's decision to slash its bird flu spending for 2007 by around 19 percent to US$46.45 million, while international donor pledges have risen to US$47 million from this year's total of US$35.3 million, bringing Indonesia's current total anti-H5N1 budget for next year to US$93.45 million.

 

Meanwhile, Indonesia has recently surpassed Vietnam as the country to be worst-hit by bird flu, further exacerbating international perceptions that Indonesia is the weak link in the global H5N1 fight. This has also led to concerns that donors are over pledging funds to a country without a clear plan of action in combating the virus.

 

The World Bank's Indonesia Country Director Andrew Steer recently expressed these concerns at a conference held in Jakarta, aimed at clearing Indonesia's way forward by identifying key areas where action is needed, and determining how problems should be tackled.

 

Steer and other World Bank, officials said the Indonesian government shouldn't be backing off in its efforts to fight the virus, especially now that donor funding pledges have increased.

 

Health and agriculture officials have consistently complained of underfunding in key areas, and a further comment from Kalla indicated the government's unwillingness to commit.

 

"We request reassurance from the World Bank as they have also requested commitment on funding from us," Kalla said.

 

Meanwhile, the country has also launched a public awareness campaign about the virus on Friday.

 

"We want bird flu to become part of history," said Bayu Krisnamurthi, head of the country's bird flu commission.

 

The "Be Aware of Bird Flu" campaign will feature television advertisements calling on people to report dead birds to authorities and wash hands after handling chickens or visiting markets, Krisnamurthi said.