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PRESS RELEASE
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DATE: 26 April 2007 CONTACTS: PB IDI TOGETHER WITH UPLIFT INTERNATIONAL AND CARGILL HOLD DISASTER RESPONSE TRAINING FOR DOCTORS JAKARTA – Pengurus Besar Ikatan Dokter Indonesia (IDI) or the Indonesian Medical Association headquarters together with support from Uplift International and Cargill International announced today that a Disaster Response Management Basic Training for Medical Doctors will be held for forty physicians from all over Indonesia. It is expected that the trained doctors will be the driving forces in their provinces to develop an integrated disaster response management system. The training will be conducted from 26-29 April 2007 at Hotel Ria Diani, Bogor West Java. Dr Fachmi Idris, the Head of PB IDI, said, “PB IDI is a medical professional association which upholds humanitarian values and aims to increase the professionalism of doctors in responding to disasters. Indonesia is a disaster-prone country, both natural and man-made. It is essential and timely that doctors provide both medical and management support in the context of an integrated disaster response management system.” Geni Achnas, Uplift International country director, stated, “This type of training is critical to Indonesia. It is the first of its kind for doctors here in Indonesia on this scale and we know it will help build the capacity in disaster response that Indonesia needs. We are greatful to Cargill for their generous contribution to make this training possible. We also want to thank the PB IDI for their expertise and concern to organize this training.” “Cargill is pleased to be able to support Uplift International and PB IDI. We saw our own employees, suppliers, customers, friends, and neighbors be affected by the recent disasters here in Indonesia. We wanted to do something to help Indonesians now and in the future. We also feel its our responsibility to give back to the communities where we operate,” said Haposan Panjaitan, Indonesian director of corporate affairs for Cargill. The goal of the four-day seminar is to develop a strategy in supporting the system to respond to disasters; to coordinate with other related agencies; and to have a standard operating procedure within IDI for disaster response. The participating physicians will be better able to respond to disasters in their local areas, conduct “rapid health assessments”, and coordinate with different institutions in relief work. Trainers at the seminar will include staff from the Ministry of Health, IDI, the World Health Organization, Bakornas PBP, Disdokes Polri, ORARI/RAPI, and Network of Humanitarian Volunteers. Uplift International is dedicated to improving the right to health in developing countries through medical, legal, education and technical assistance. Uplift International endeavors to create awareness of the synergistic relationship among health of vulnerable populations, human rights and economic development. Since its founding in 1997, Uplift International has developed and implemented programs in health and human rights, humanitarian assistance, maternal and child health, telemedicine, and medical educational exchanges in Southeast Asia. Uplift International partnered with PB IDI in the wake of the tsunami that devastated Aceh, Indonesia in 2004 bringing emergency medical relief to over 19,000 survivors. Uplift International also provided over 20 tons of medicines for the relief effort. More information may be found at www.upliftinternational.org. Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 153,000 employees in 66 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com. -###-
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