July 4 2023
In June 2023, a team from ADDRI travelled to Indonesia to deliver crucial clinical training to improve diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
This training at Binawan University in Jakarta was supported by the Australian Government Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) and Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA.
Currently there are only a handful of countries across South-East Asia and the Pacific region that have imposed national bans on the import of raw chrysotile asbestos, as well as the production and use of asbestos-containing materials. Also, the capacity for the healthcare sector across our regions to properly diagnose and treat mesothelioma and other ARDs is very low so the undiagnosed burden of disease caused by the continued use of ACMs will be significant.
“This training was carefully planned to encourage participants to foster lasting relationships with trainers and other participants so they continue working together after the training concluded. Their satisfaction with the detailed information about ARDs and eagerness to continue working together on the ARDs was very gratifying. Collaboration with ADDRI has allowed Binawan University to participate actively on asbestos issues among the Indonesian government, academics, practitioners, civil society and other experts in Indonesia.” Dr Anna Suraya – Occupational Medical Specialist, Binawan University, Jakarta, Indonesia.
As the WHO Collaborating Centre for Elimination of Asbestos Related Diseases, ADDRI is committed to equipping and training healthcare sectors across the region to ensure accurate diagnosis of asbestos-related diseases and adequate treatment for patients.
To ensure training materials were accessible, ADDRI ensured that key training resources were translated into Bahasa Indonesian (and other languages) so that training participants could distribute to their colleagues at their home institutions.
Education is a critical part of the solution and ADDRI was very proud to work alongside global experts to deliver the pilot training program on the “Principles of Mesothelioma and Asbestos Related Disease”. The outcomes of the Pilot training will help inform proposed training in other South-East Asia countries in 2023-24.
Tuniah and Kuswoyo worked for the Trigraha Sealsindo company, an asbestos manufacturer for automotive parts in Indonesia for over 20 years. In 2017, they were diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases. This is their story.