Denpasar – The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) in collaboration with Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) held GISAID Academy Training with the topic Accelerated NGS Bioinformatics I in Denpasar, Bali (18-21/4). The aim of this training is to increase the capacity of practitioners of the Ministry of Health's Tier 4 and Tier 5 Public Health Laboratory (Lab Kesmas) and their networks in the field of Bioinformatics and Next generation sequencing.
GISAID is a global initiative focused on rapid, open, and coordinated exchange of virus data. Established in response to the 5 H1N2006 influenza pandemic, GISAID aims to promote international collaboration and accelerate scientific discovery in virology.
GISAID also plays a role in maintaining the balance between freedom of data sharing and respect for the rights and interests of the countries that provide the data. This makes GISAID an important tool in dealing with global pandemics, including COVID-19.
Last year, the Indonesian government and GISAID collaborated to establish the GISAID Academy, which will benefit both parties. For Indonesia to continue building resilience and response to outbreaks by leveraging the existing health ecosystem, and for GISAID itself, this collaboration affirms its commitment to managing high-quality genomic data to advance health and evidence-based policy decisions.
Head of the Center for Development of State Civil Apparatus Competence Dwi Meilani representing the Deputy Minister of Health opened the GISAID Academy Training which took place at the United in Diversity (UID) Campus, Bali.
Dwi Meilani said that currently Indonesia is undergoing a significant transformation in the health system including the restructuring of the public health laboratory system, which is aimed at supporting the provision of primary health services, referral systems and increasing health resilience.
"As we know, the Indonesian Government and GISAID have collaborated to establish the GISAID Academy in Bali. The launch was carried out by the Minister of Health on November 28, 2023. The Minister of Health emphasized that with a deeper understanding of genetic testing and its results, drug research and development can be directed more precisely, allowing for more effective therapy with minimal side effects," said Dwi Meilani.
Dwi Meilani further said that the GISAID Academy in Bali supports the regional area in providing training and capacity building in genomic sequencing and data analysis which is expected to help reduce the knowledge and skills gap that exists in this field, in Indonesia and throughout the region.
"We hope that this training will train lab officers, especially the Public Health Lab to conduct data analysis as part of early detection of outbreaks. With the presence of instructors who have extensive experience, participants will be taught basic bioinformatics skills to analyze examination results," he said.
Before ending her speech, Dwi Meilani also expressed her hope that the Ministry of Health can prepare superior human resources (HR) for the Public Health Lab as part of the 7th Pillar of Health Transformation, namely Internal Transformation.
"We hope that the Ministry of Health can prepare superior Public Health Lab HR as part of the 7th Pillar of Health Transformation, where we prepare superior Health Ministry Organizations and HR, one of which is by improving competency," he concluded. The GISAID Academy training was attended by 30 health laboratory practitioners from tier 4 and tier 5 public health laboratories of the Ministry of Health, RSPI Sulianto Saroso, Poltekkes Denpasar, Etana Biotechnology Indonesia, Kalbe Farma, and 4 foreign participants from the Philippines and Cambodia. (Author: Kurniatun Karomah Edit Pusjak KGTK/HDI Team)
