Health Security Hero Dr Imas Yuyun

Dr Imas Yuyan works as the Directorate of Animal Health Services at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Republic of Indonesia.

What is your area of animal health?

I am interested in the field of animal health services which aim to create animals that are healthy and disease-free. Epidemiology is a very important part of supporting government programs to create healthy animal food sources. Animal disease prevention and control programs can support the welfare of breeders as well as support government programs that aim to maximise food security. I am also interested in calculating the economic impact of an animal disease. As we know in Indonesia, small and medium breeders do not have a large amount of capital available so when their cattle get sick and die, many breeders close their livestock businesses. Disease prevention is therefore very important and can be accomplished through creation of good animal health services and training of field based staff.

What is your role in the Asia Pacific Consortium of Veterinary Epidemiology project?

As part of the APCOVE team, my role involves coordinating APCOVE work in Indonesia which includes facilitating an online survey, coordinating the stakeholder consultation, and providing a local perspective as part of module teams for development of the online modules.

Why are you passionate about improving the skills of the Asia-Pacific animal health workforce?

Indonesia is a country with a very high human population. One of the duties of the Government is to ensure the availability of ASUH (Safe, Healthy, Whole, Halal) food. As a veterinarian in the government, I aim to assist in meeting these food needs by providing healthy animals, free from disease. Epidemiology is an important area that can assist us in tracking and preventing disease outbreaks from spreading. Training of field animal health workers is very important to support government programs and improve the skills of field officers in carrying out disease control and ensuring the availability of foods of animal origin for the community.