RI evaluating US proposal to extend period of NAMRU-2 operations

"The US government has sent us a proposal to extend the period of their NAMRU-2 operations in Indonesia. The proposal id being evaluated thoroughly," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said on her arrival at Soekarno-Hatta airport, Saturday, after attending the 61st World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva.

NAMRU-2 began operating in Indonesia in 1970, and the Health Ministry provided a building at Jalan Percetakan Negara, Central Jakarta, to house its office.

On December 31, 2005, the cooperation with NAMRU-2 expired and by January 1, 2006 its project in Indonesia was stopped.

NAMRU-2 focused its research activities on viral diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, intestinal infection that cause diarrhea, and bird flu.

The decision to stop the cooperation was supported by the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, Law and Human Rights Ministry, Health Ministry, Home Affairs Ministry, and other related institutions.

Supari said she could not decide whether or not the cooperation would be extended as a decision on it must be taken after coordination with other ministries.

Previously, two non-governmental organizations, namely Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) and An Nashr Institute had called on the government not to extend the cooperation with NAMRU-2.

They urged the ...