JAKARTA: Indonesia’s well being partnerships with the US Company for Worldwide Improvement are on maintain and it stays unclear whether or not they are going to be completely suspended, its well being minister mentioned on Thursday (Feb 6).
US President Donald Trump’s administration is contemplating merging USAID, Washington’s main humanitarian company, into the State Division in a significant revamp that will shrink its workforce and align its spending with his “America First” policy.
A US freeze on international assist for Indonesia might pressure the Asian nation’s efforts to battle in opposition to HIV and tuberculosis, which changed COVID-19 to turn into the highest reason for infectious disease-related deaths globally in 2023.
“That’s on maintain. Not stopped,” well being minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin advised Reuters, referring to its tasks with USAID.
“We do not know if it is confirmed to be erased or nonetheless beneath evaluation,” he mentioned, including he could have extra readability within the subsequent 90 days.
USAID has invested US$800 million in Indonesia since 2020, the US embassy in Jakarta mentioned in November.
The Southeast Asian nation’s tasks with the US company have concerned HIV and tuberculosis. Extra so than USAID, Budi mentioned, Indonesia additionally receives medication from the International Fund to Battle AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which counts Washington as its largest donor.
The US embassy in Jakarta and USAID didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
