Summary
After a five-year twinning partnership with I.S.A.R. Germany, the Indonesian team is the first from the country to receive international recognition
On 19 October 2025, the Indonesian rescue team MDMC (Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center) received certification as an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) from the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr Roy Cosico from the WHO EMT Secretariat presented the team led by Dr Corona Rintawan with the official EMT patch. This makes MDMC the 63rd certified EMT worldwide and the first from Indonesia.
The certification took place after a two-day final audit, during which all operational areas - medicine, WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene), logistics, pharmacy, catering and management - were reviewed. The Indonesian team scored highly in all categories.
The basis for this success was a five-year twinning partnership between MDMC and I.S.A.R. Germany, which was supported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the German Health Preparedness Programme (GHPP). The collaboration included joint on-site training in Indonesia, visits by an MDMC delegation to Germany as well as numerous online training sessions and coordination meetings.
The Medical Director of I.S.A.R. Germany, Stefan Becker, and Medical Coordinator Simon Gutzeit have been particularly involved in the certification process over the past few years. According to I.S.A.R. Germany, this is the largest twinning project carried out by the RKI and GHPP to date.
Emergency Medical Teams are specialised units that work according to international WHO standards and can be deployed worldwide in the event of disasters and health crises. Certification confirms that a team meets the WHO's high professional and organisational requirements.