Indonesia’s Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has called on the United States to rejoin the World Health Organisation, saying global cooperation would be essential in responding to any future pandemic.
Budi, who is Indonesia’s candidate to become the next WHO director-general, made the appeal in an interview with Reuters, saying the US could not effectively tackle a future pandemic alone.
“Many member states feel that the US should be back. The US should be back,” Budi said, adding that it was “scientifically impossible” to go it alone in the event of a pandemic.
The United States officially withdrew from the WHO in January after President Donald Trump accused the organisation of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, a claim the agency has denied.
The withdrawal also meant the loss of the WHO’s largest donor.
Budi said he had a personal relationship with US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which could help facilitate discussions between the organisation and Washington.
“We can talk easily and the connection is there,” he added.
Budi, who has served as Indonesia’s health minister since 2020, is one of six candidates seeking to replace Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as WHO director-general. Other candidates are from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Botswana and Belgium.
Unlike the other candidates, Budi has neither worked for the WHO nor received professional training in the health sector.
He is a former banker who has worked at IBM and Indonesia’s Bank Mandiri.
He said the WHO should return its attention to its fundamental responsibilities, particularly establishing global health standards based on scientific evidence.
“Many of (member states) feel that while they are receiving money from donors, global health institutions, or the WHO, they’re being directed to do things driven in the health office in Geneva,” he said.
He added that “almost all member states” were demanding reforms at the organisation.
“It needs to focus back on its core mandate, which is setting norms and standards based on science.”
Budi also argued that rebuilding confidence among WHO member states was more important than increasing the organisation’s budget, saying the agency “has done too many things.”
He said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto personally nominated him for the WHO leadership contest earlier this year.
The WHO is expected to announce all the nominations later this month, while the election for the next director-general is scheduled to take place in May next year.
