Timor-Leste and Indonesia have embarked upon the joint elimination of AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. The agreement between the two countries was set during the 3rd Cross Border Meeting (CBM) on AIDS, TB and Malaria held in Atambua, the capital of Bellu District, East Nusa Tenggara, 13-15 August 2019.
The 3rd CBM carried the following objectives:
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To develop the details of activity implementation plans for each programme
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To establish the coordination mechanism and service pathway for disease control and prevention of AIDS, TB, and malaria
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To monitor and evaluate the existing joint activities on AIDS, TB, and malaria
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To evaluate the progress of the baseline assessment for malaria
The meeting was attended by 104 participants from Indonesia and Timor-Leste, representing national and subnational health structures in both countries. The Indonesian Delegation was led by Dr. Anung Sugihantono, Director General of Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Republic of Indonesia, and Timor-Leste’s by Dr. Odete de Silva Viegas, Director General of Health Services, MoH of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste.
Understanding the factors contributing to cross border transmission and subsequent domestic spread of these diseases is crucial to the prevention, control, and/or elimination of any of these diseases. With a porous border, strengthening the programme on one side will not amount to anything. The two South-East Asia Region countries began their partnership in dealing with communicable diseases, through the “Cross Border Initiative collaboration meeting” in Bali, Indonesia, on 11 January 2017. Preliminary discussions on the efforts to eliminate malaria and cooperation to fight TB and AIDS were the key points of the meeting. As a follow-up, earlier this February, the 2nd CBM on Communicable Diseases Control between the MoH of both countries took place in Dili. The meeting focused on developing a broad plan of action for priority diseases, which led to the launching of the “Dili Declaration”.
The WHO Country Offices of both Indonesia and Timor-Leste provided vital technical and financial support for the 3rd CBM. Staff from both WHO offices facilitated the preparatory meetings and led the thematic activity area discussions.
The 3rd CBM concluded with the following outputs:
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Indonesia and Timor-Leste made a joint presentation on the Framework for Cross Border Collaboration and the Joint Strategic Action Plan. The presentation provided a context for cross border programmes highlighting the porous border between Nusa Tenggara Timur and Timor Leste. The plan was signed by both countries.
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Both parties agreed on the initial drafts of Standard Operational Procedure for referral mechanism and service pathway, but further formalization is needed.
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The draft malaria screening mechanism at border control check points was agreed.
Epidemiological facts on the three communicable diseases in border areas of Indonesia and Timor-Leste were shared, and a data sharing mechanism was established using information technology.