Collaboration of FPH UI and 26 Universities in the Southeast Asia Region in Facing the Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era

The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Universitas Indonesia (UI) proved its commitment as one of the drivers of health development in Southeast Asia with its role as organizer at The 2nd International Teleconference on Technology and Policy in Supporting Implementation of COVID-19 (ITTP-COVID 19). The International Teleconference on Technology and Policy in Supporting Implementation of COVID-19 (ITTP-COVID19) is a consortium initiated in 2021 involving 27 universities in the Southeast Asian region, including the Universitas Indonesia and the University of Technology Malaysia, supported by the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN University Network (AUN).

Other universities collaborating to realize The 2nd ITTP-COVID19 this year are the Bandung Institute of Technology, Airlangga University, Gadjah Mada University, Mulawarman University, Padjadjaran University, National University of Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Putra University Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Royal University of Phom Penh, National University of Laos, University of the Philippines, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Mahasarakham University, Mahidol University, Prince of Songkla University, School of Business and Management RMIT University, De La Salle University Manila, and University of Medicine and Pharmacy VNU.

This year’s ITTP-COVID 19 was carried out virtually for three days, starting Saturday, 6 August 2022 to Monday, 8 August 2022. The ITTP-COVID 19 2022 series has been going on since June 2022 through several webinars and focus group discussions (FGD) to produce policy recommendations with three main focuses, namely health, social economy, and technology.

The first day of the conference was opened with an introduction from dr. Agustin Kusumayati, M.Sc., Ph.D., Chair of The 2nd ITTP-COVID 19.

The event was continued with a welcoming speech by Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., Chancellor of the Universitas Indonesia and Prof. Datuk Ts. Dr. Ahmad Fauzi Ismail, B.Eng., M.Sc., Ph.D., Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The event was then officially opened by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, Nadiem Makarim, who represented the President of the Republic of Indonesia. “It is the wish of all of us that Southeast Asia will become a formidable region in the future. The hope is that ITTP-COVID19 can produce strategic recommendations that promote the spirit of mutual cooperation between countries,” said Nadiem Makarim in his remarks.

Dr. dr. Brian Sri Prahastuti, M.P.H., as a representative of the Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic of Indonesia then gave a keynote speech with the theme “Strengthening Intersectoral Collaboration to Create Economic Resilience and Health Security Post COVID-19”. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a myriad of new challenges, especially in realizing Indonesia’s demographic bonus in 2045. “The COVID-19 pandemic cannot be handled by only focusing on one sector, instead there must be collaborative efforts between the government, the public sector and the private sector,” said Dr. dr. Brian Sri Prahastuti.

The event continued with a discussion with three speakers moderated by Prof. Kemal Siregar, S.K.M., M.A., Ph.D. The first speaker, namely Dr. Nilesh Buddha is Lead–Regional Emergencies, WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO). Dr. Nilesh Buddha spoke about “Global Health Architecture to Strengthen Health System Post COVID-19”. Dr. Nilesh Buddha said, “The COVID-19 pandemic is not the last health crisis we will face. We must prepare as best we can to face emerging and re-emerging viruses and other health problems.” Currently, the World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing a Global Health Emergency Council with the aim of strengthening the health architecture in facing future challenges.

Meanwhile, Tan Kay Chuan, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., Associate Professor at National University Singapore (NUS), spoke about “Response from the National University of Singapore to COVID-19, 2020-2022“ . NUS implements a Crisis Management Framework system that divides commands based on the level of crisis. NUS also utilizes technology to assist in tracing and tracking.

Dr. Ahmad Zafarullah Abdul Jalil, Director for ASEAN Integration Monitoring Directorate (AIMD), who was the last speaker, presented the theme “Stability, Recovery, and Mitigation System Beyond COVID-19 Pandemic in ASEAN”. The COVID-19 pandemic has made ASEAN countries have a stronger foundation in dealing with health problems. “The health crisis has had an impact on various aspects of life, so collaboration with relevant stakeholders is needed in order to recover comprehensively,” said Dr. Ahmad Zafarullah Abdul Jalil.

This year’s conference was also able to be held well due to the support from Novartis and Mandiri Inhealth as the main sponsors. It is hoped that the ITTP-COVID19 conference can provide policy recommendations and strengthen the collaboration of ASEAN countries in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. (WR)