Promotes Genome Sequencing Diagnosis, Minister Of Health Budi To Establish BGSi Laboratory In Eijkman

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin will establish a Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi) laboratory next week. This laboratory is located in the Eijkman Building, Central Jakarta.

Budi said that the BGSi will contain an immunology lab, a cell and molecular lab, a DNA extraction room, and a diabetes genomics lab.

He said, before checking a person's health condition, they had to take blood, MRI, and CT scans. Through BGSi, in the future the diagnosis will use genome sequencing.

"Genome sequencing can see in detail what is in the human body, especially regarding what health conditions are. In fact, in the future, BGSi can see potential diseases that will arise in the future," Budi said in a written statement, quoted on Tuesday, August 2nd.

Furthermore, Budi said that the establishment of BGSi was included in one type of transformation program in the government's health sector.

There are 6 types of health transformation carried out, namely the transformation of primary services, the transformation of referral services, the transformation of the health resilience system, the transformation of the health financing system, the transformation of health human resources, and the transformation of health technology.

"This BGSi program is part of the sixth pillar of health transformation in the field of health technology," said Budi.

For information, genome sequencing is a method used to sequence the genomes of organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and humans. The genome is the genetic material composed of DNA.

Genome sequencing methods are widely used for research in genetics and molecular biology, including in the medical field to understand various diseases

Currently, there are 12 genome sequencing machines. It is planned that this machine will be increased to 30 and will be used in national referral hospitals, including Dharmais Cancer Hospital, PON Hospital for stroke, RSCM for metabolic diseases such as diabetes and kidney, hospitals in Yogyakarta, then RSPI for infection, and RS Sanglah for aging and wellness.