Jakarta, Sept. 8 -- Indonesia's Ministry of Health is strengthening the standardization of Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) and improving the management of hospital emergency departments to improve their preparedness for natural disasters and medical emergencies.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday that the initiative is in line with Indonesia's position as the country with the second-highest number of disasters recorded globally.

"Hence, we should have EMTs with WHO standards, from level 1 to level 2, distributed equally in regions and integrated with the accreditation criteria for regional public hospitals on every island," Sadikin stated.

As the ministry recorded at least 52 natural disaster-triggered health crises as ...