Initial Steps in Rebuilding the Health Sector in East Timor

Download or read book Initial Steps in Rebuilding the Health Sector in East Timor written by Program on Forced Migration and Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2003-06-20 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In May 2002 Timor Leste (East Timor) emerged as a new nation after centuries of foreign rule and decades of struggle for independence. Its birth was a painful one; a United Nations-brokered Popular Consultation in August 1999, in which an overwhelming majority of the people opted for independence, was followed by several weeks of vengeful violence, looting, and destruction by pro-Indonesia militias. It left the territory and all of its essential services devastated. In this context, the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), with the country's leaders and people and many other partners, set about restoring order and services, building a government structure, and preparing for independence. This paper summarizes the rehabilitation and development of the health sector from early 2000 to the end of 2001.