Page 22 - Virtual Training “Indonesian FDA’s Support for the Establishment of an Independent Palestinian Food and Drug Authority”_Neat

Judul : Indonesia's BPOM assists Palestine to establish independent
food and drug agency Rizki Fachriansyah

Nama Media : thejakartapost.com
Tanggal : 24 November 2020

Halaman/URL : https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/11/24/indonesias-
bpom-assists-palestine-to-establish-independent-food-and-drug-
agency.html

Tipe Media : Online

Indonesia, through the Food and Drug
Monitoring Agency (BPOM), has kicked
off a three-day virtual forum on the
establishment of an independent
regulatory body for food and drugs in
Palestine in an effort to bolster the
Middle Eastern nation’s resilience in
weathering the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.

A part of the South-South Cooperation (SSC) program, the forum runs from Monday
to Wednesday and comprises comprehensive online training sessions in which
relevant stakeholders from Indonesia and Palestine are expected to exchange
knowledge about the various prerequisites and challenges of forming the regulatory
body. The training covers wide-ranging topics of interest, including traditional
medicine, health supplements, cosmetics, food and laboratory testing.

Among those attending the online event are BPOM head Penny Kusumastuti Lukito,
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila, as well as representatives from several
state departments. “This COVID-19 situation is what motivated our commitment to
providing technical support for Palestinian regulatory authorities so as to improve the
monitoring of food and drugs in Palestine,” Penny said in a statement issued by the
BPOM on Monday.

She went on to say that the virtual training was meant as a follow-up to the road map
established during a 2018 meeting in Jakarta with several other food and drug
regulatory agencies affiliated with the Islamic Cooperation Organization (OKI), of
which Indonesia is also a member.

Al-Kaila conveyed her appreciation for the support provided by the BPOM,
particularly with regard to the virtual forum. “This event represents one approach to
[…] improving access to food and medicines in Palestine amid the COVID-19
pandemic,” she said as quoted in the statement.

She went on to say that the forum was in line with Palestine’s priority health
programs, such as Quality Health Care for All, as stipulated in the National Policy
Agenda of the State of Palestine Year 2017-2022.