ALMOST 200 health care professionals from 14 hospitals in Aceh will receive training at three hospitals here in the next few months as part of the Aceh-Singapore Technical Assistance Programme.

Funded by the Singapore Red Cross, the $2 million programme is a three-year initiative to provide training to health-care workers in Aceh, which was devastated by the December 2004 tsunami.

The first phase involves specialised training for Acehnese health-care staff and includes training attachments at Alexandra Hospital, the Singapore General Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).

They then return to Aceh to provide training to their counterparts, a process described by Singapore Red Cross chairman Winston Choo as a 'multiplier effect'.

'The disaster wiped out infrastructure and almost 800 medical personnel,' said Dr T. Marwan Nusri, head of the Provincial Health Office in Aceh. 'We're grateful for Singapore's help.'

The programme has already seen its second batch of Acehnese medical personnel.

Matron Nurlela Hasan, who is on attachment at KKH, said the training is vital to improve the province's health-care services.

The memorandum of understanding for the programme was finally signed yesterday, as it was the first time representatives from all participating hospitals were able to meet. The ceremony was witnessed by Dr Ratna Rosita, Director of Medical Services from Indonesia's Ministry of Health and Lt-General (Retired) Choo.