WHO is committed to saving lives and protecting health in times of crisis – whether caused by outbreaks, conflicts or disasters.

The WHO Health Emergencies Programme harnesses the expertise and resources of all three levels of WHO to help Member States build the capacities required to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from all hazards that create health emergencies. When national capacities are overwhelmed, WHO works alongside ministries of health and partners to lead and coordinate the international health response.

Health cluster approach

Indonesia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Given its geographic positioning on the 'ring of fire', Indonesia is susceptible to a range of natural disasters, including floods, landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes. When emergencies occur, it is imperative that humanitarian agencies can respond in an effective and timely manner.

In 2014 the Government of Indonesia adopted the UN cluster approach to improve the quality of collaborative disaster response through eight key clusters: Health, Education, IDP and Protection, Infrastructure, Early Recovery, Economy, Logistic, SAR.

The overarching goal of the Health Cluster response plan is to save lives and promote the well-being of populations affected or likely to be affected by a disaster. It gives specific attention to protecting vulnerable populations, especially children, women and people with disabilities.

The Health Cluster approach aims to increase preparedness and reduce excess morbidity and mortality in affected populations while protecting the rights of people in emergency-affected areas.

The goals of the Health Cluster are to:

• Ensure a set of agreed standard tools is used for an initial rapid assessment;
• Ensure access to basic health care – including for reproductive health – for affected populations;
• Ensure appropriate coordination with national and local authorities and between health humanitarian partners;
• Strengthen the capacity and capabilities of the public health system to monitor, prevent and respond to outbreaks of communicable diseases during an emergency response.