Vice-Minister of Agriculture: Veterinary Authority Directly Under the President

General Chairman of the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association, Wiwiek Bagja, DVM, said it is time for Indonesia to have veterinary authorities at central, provincial, and district/municipal levels. Veterinary authority is important to protect Indonesia from factors that threat the health and lives of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Country members of the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) have even strengthened the veterinary authority in their countries for the health of the universe (one world, one health, one medicine).
Health challenges in the future, said Wiwiek, will become more severe with the emergence of diseases that could be transmitted from animal to human or zoonoses. In fact, 70 percent of human diseases are zoonoses, such as mad cow, rabies, influenza A-H1N1, influenza H5N1, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The current veterinary authority at the central government is only positioned by an echelon II officer; hence decisions made were often overruled by higher-ranking officers above.
Bayu Krisnamurthi agreed on strengthening the veterinary authority. He proposed four alternatives. Aside from establishing a Veterinary Authority Body under the President, it is also possible to form a Directorate General of Animal Health with the Director General being a veterinarian. Another alternative is to change the Directorate General of Animal Husbandry into a Directorate General of Animal Health and Husbandry with the Director General being a veterinarian.
”The fourth alternative is to transform the National Committee for Avian Influenza into a National Committee for Zoonoses. As it happens, the duty of the National Committee for Avian Influenza finishes in March this year,” said Bayu who is also Chief Executive of the National Committee for Avian Influenza.
Secretary General of Indonesian Agriculture Fellowship Association (HKTI) Rachmat Pambudy said placing the veterinary authority to an echelon I position should be plausible.
”If you want to create history, the Ministry of Agriculture should place the veterinary medical profession at a more honorable position,” said Rachmat.
Minister of Agriculture Suswono also agreed that the role of veterinarians should be enhanced. Moreover since the government has aimed for meat self-sufficiency by 2014. Currently Indonesia still imports 70,000 tons of meat and 630,000 heads of cattle per year. (BUR/NMP)

Source: Kompas