Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said he expects the healthcare sector to form stronger and better linkages between countries in the midst of rampant geopolitical issues.
"Indeed, geopolitical issues are currently on the rise. Health is (a) universal (issue), so supposedly, the (members of the) healthcare sector should unite and work together," Minister Sadikin said at a press conference of the G20 Health Working Group meeting on ‘Harmonizing Global Health Protocol Standards,’ in Yogyakarta on Monday.
Each country has a different economic capacity, and this greatly influences international policies, he added.
On top of that, the political views of each country are also different, which determines their international interactions.
"However, if there are problems regarding health, (or) humanity, then our approach must be more universal; not sectoral, (as in considering things) such as ideology, politics, and others," the minister said in response to questions about the tensions in Ukraine.
The director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies, Bhima Yudhistira, had urged Indonesia to take advantage of its G20 Presidency to contribute to mediation efforts to resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
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"What Indonesia should be able to do is conduct negotiations or mediation so that a more severe conflict between Ukraine and Russia can be prevented," he said.
Yudhistira emphasized that the measure is crucial, given that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is affecting global efforts to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creating momentum for recovery from the social, health, and economic perspectives is the goal of the G20 Presidency of Indonesia themed, 'Recover Together Recover Stronger.’
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