NDO/VNA - Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said that the country will urge the Group of 20 leading economies (G20) to establish a global body that can dispense emergency funds during a health crisis, functioning in a similar way to international financial institutions.

Under the current system, countries are "basically on their own" if they need emergency funds, vaccines, therapeutics or diagnostics. As G20 president this year, Indonesia will seek to change that, Reuters quoted Budi as saying at a news conference on February 11.

At the virtual World Economic Forum last month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said his Indonesia will push for the establishment of a new global health agency during its presidency of the G20.

Widodo said the agency would strengthen the world's health resilience and help make the global health system more inclusive and responsive to crises. Its task is to mobilise world health resources, including for financing health emergencies, purchasing vaccines, medicines and medical devices.

He called on the world's major economies to co-finance the initiative and reach an agreement during Indonesia's presidency of the G20 this year.

Indonesia holds the G20 presidency for the first time this year and has specified recovery from the pandemic as its core objective.