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What sets newsmaker Terawan apart from predecessors
Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has made headlines in foreign media following his strong reaction to a study by Harvard University researchers that suggested Indonesia might have undetected cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
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span>Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto has made headlines in foreign media following his strong reaction to a study by Harvard University researchers that suggested Indonesia might have undetected cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The minister, the first military doctor to be appointed to the post since the beginning of the Reform Era in 1998, described the report as "insulting" and insisted that the government was "not hiding anything" with regard to the absence of any confirmed cases in the country.
Even before his appointment as a minister late last year, Terawan often found himself in the media spotlight at home. Debates that emerged in public ranged from his unconventional “brain-cleaning” treatment for stroke patients — which led to sanctions from the Indonesian Doctors Association's (IDI) ethics board — to his string of almost instantaneous controversial statements in response.
Early in Terawan's appointment, Presiden Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, in an apparent move to dismiss concerns surrounding the minister, was quick to defend his pick, saying the military doctor had ample field experience in handling disasters and endemic threats that were prone to hit Indonesia.
Unlike his predecessors, Terawan had dedicated himself to the military in 1990, after graduating from Gadjah Mada University. He served as a presidential doctor in Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, before becoming the director of Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAD) in 2015.
Most health ministers appointed after Indonesia introduced direct presidential elections in 2004 — all of whom were women — had spent their careers as civil doctors, researchers or academics, although they were no strangers to public criticism either.
Terawan's immediate predecessor, Nila Moeloek, for one, drew scrutiny in 2018 when she said worms found in canned mackerel were not dangerous, as they contained protein and would die when cooked properly, following findings that at least 27 brands of canned mackerel had been tainted with threadworms.
Siti Fadilah Supari, who served in Yudhoyono’s administration, raised eyebrows in the late 2000s with her controversial book and statements alleging the United States and the World Health Organization were conspiring against developing countries by seizing control of bird flu samples. In 2017, she was convicted of accepting bribes related to the procurement of medical equipment.
What sets Terawan apart from former ministers in times of serious health situations, such as the current COVID-19 outbreak, is that they, even “the controversial” Siti, would commonly form a team of experts to help assess risk factors and evaluate the government's preparedness, said University of Indonesia epidemiology expert Tri Yunis Miko.
Tri questioned why Terawan had yet to create such a team, which could also help the minister offer science-based information rather than hasty statements based on common sense to prevent uncertainty among the public.
He was referring to Terawan's recent statement on the rising price of face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak: "It's your fault for buying them”.
"Terawan’s expertise is in radiology [...]. He's not an expert at everything. Therefore, he should acknowledge that each field has its own share of experts," Tri said.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) microbiology researcher Sugiyono Saputra said the current outbreak might differ from those of the past given the rampant misinformation nowadays.
He added that, although Terawan's statements might aim to allay public fears, people had a right to information so that they could exercise caution, particularly given the scale of the outbreak.
Terawan has also repeatedly underlined the importance of praying amid the country's ongoing battle against COVID-19. His decision to prioritize budget efficiency when it came to conducting lab tests also raised concern. None of the evacuees from Wuhan, China, in Natuna, for example, were tested, as they did not show any symptoms.
Sugiyono said that, although the government had followed standard procedures in conducting tests on those with symptoms only, budget efficiency should not be a top priority this time.
"As a researcher, I was curious as to whether those evacuated from Wuhan might not show symptoms but still carry the virus. It would have been better to test them even if they didn't show any symptoms to raise vigilance and [in response to] our curiosity.”
Amin Soebandrio, the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology director who led a panel of experts dealing with the past avian flu outbreak, said that the current outbreak could not be compared to past cases and that it was normal for ministers to have different ways to address the issue.
"The minister has his own style of communicating with the public to reduce panic. What is more important is that these messages are backed up with measures to prevent and contain the pandemic threat,” he said. “His aides must prepare the scientific evidence, and I believe that he has experts behind him telling him about the situation and the best measures to take."
The Health Ministry's disease control and prevention director general, Anung Sugihantono, said Terawan indeed had a team of experts supporting him on various matters, and whether another team would be formed to specifically deal with the COVID-19 outbreak would depend on the minister. Terawan's team of special staffers includes military doctors Maj. Gen. (ret) Daniel Tjen and Brig. Gen. (ret) Jajang Edi Priyatno, as well as a civilian doctor Mariya Mubarika. (ars)
