Paulina Quintao – The Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Southeast Asia, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, said the three major achievements in Timor-Leste's health sector since independence were a reduction in infant mortality rates, good progress in eliminating malaria and improvements in health infrastructure.
She said this was mainly through the efforts made by the government, particularly the Ministry of Health, with technical support from WHO.
In an exclusive interview with The Dili Weekly at the WHO office in Kaikoli, Dili, Dr Singh said although infant mortality rates had declined, reducing maternal mortality remained a significant challenge facing Timor-Leste.
"The ratio of midwives to doctors is still very low and that is an area that needs to be focused on," she said. "People are also not going to health institutions for their deliveries and that leads to maternal mortality."
The 2010 Demographic Health Survey showed that from 1000 births six women died every year or 557 of every 100,000 births. According to 2015 data from the Ministry of Health, this figure has since been reduced to 252 deaths for every 100,000 births.
As a new country, Timor-Leste has made significant progress in disease elimination, as well as re-establishing health infrastructure across the country, Dr Singh said. Progress in eliminating malaria and leprosy are other key achievements.
Improving access to health services is a significant challenge facing Timor-Leste due to the remoteness of some communities and the long distances required to travel. "The major obstacle is accessing health facilities is the lack of human resources," she said.
However, she said the government was currently making efforts to provide human resource training and distribute the necessary equipment to strengthen health services at community level.
She said WHO had so far provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to improve human resources and the procedures needed for the government to implement its programs.
Dr Singh said WHO was focusing on several so-called "flashship areas" where infection rates of diseases such as malaria, dengue and tuberculosis remain high. She said WHO aims to eliminate yaws disease in Timor-Leste and Indonesia by 2020.
Apart from that, WHO also will continue to pay close attention to reducing the incidence of non-infectious disease such as diabetes and heart disease.
She said WHO and the Ministry of Health are also working together to address anti-microbial resistance and immunization. "This happens because of indiscriminate use of antibiotics and irrational prescriptions that come from the doctors," she said.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Maria do Ceo Sarmento Pina da Costa said the collaboration between the Health Ministry and WHO was established after independence from Indonesia and in 2000 Timor-Leste became a member of the World Health Association.
"WHO is providing support through training, counseling and advocacy to the Ministry of Health," she said.
Aside from that, WHO also provides funds to the ministry to implement various health programs in different communities, including the distribution of combantrin to control worms.