Rupiah Weakened, Government Asked to Anticipate Rising Prices and Drug Shortage
Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Netty Prasetiyani Aher reminded the government to be aware of the potential for price increases and disruptions in the supply of drugs due to the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate which has an impact on the increasing price of imported raw materials. He also encouraged the acceleration of the independence of the national pharmaceutical industry.
The warning follows a statement by the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) which acknowledged the pressure on the pharmaceutical industry in recent months because most of the raw materials for medicines still depend on imports.
"Medicine is a basic need of the community. Therefore, the government must ensure that global economic pressures and exchange rate fluctuations do not lead to an increase in prices that burden the community or even cause a shortage of medicine," said Netty in his statement, Monday, June 15.
Netty appreciates the steps taken by BPOM in providing ease and assistance to the pharmaceutical industry to find alternative sources of raw materials from other countries to maintain the continuity of drug production. Even so, he assessed that the move was still short-term and needed to be followed by a more fundamental strategy.
"The problems we face today show that dependence on imported raw materials is still a weak point in the national pharmaceutical system," he said.
Netty then emphasized the importance of Indonesia's independence in producing drugs and other pharmaceutical products. "Therefore, this momentum must be an impetus to accelerate the independence of the domestic pharmaceutical industry," said Netty.
The member of the DPR Health Commission assessed that the government needed to strengthen the ecosystem of the national drug raw material industry. Netty detailed, ranging from research, investment, industry incentives, to strengthening collaboration between the government, universities, research institutions, and business actors.
"National health resilience is not only determined by the number of hospitals or health workers, but also by the country's ability to ensure the availability of safe, quality, and affordable drugs for the people," explained the PKS politician.
Netty also asked the government to ensure that the relaxation policy and acceleration of licensing granted to the industry still prioritize the aspects of product safety, quality, and efficacy. "Don't let efforts to maintain supply reduce quality standards. Patient safety must remain the top priority in every policy taken," said Netty.
In addition, Netty reminded the government to periodically monitor the prices and availability of essential medicines at health facilities and pharmacies so that the public does not become victims of the global turmoil. "We must learn from various previous crises. When supplies are disrupted, the most affected are the public, especially vulnerable groups and patients who depend on routine drugs every day," said Netty.
Netty also hopes that all stakeholders can use this situation as an opportunity to strengthen national pharmaceutical resilience so that Indonesia is not constantly vulnerable to global economic and supply chain turmoil.
"Don't let every time the rupiah weakens or there is a global conflict, the community is haunted by rising prices and the threat of drug shortages. Pharmaceutical independence must be a national strategic agenda," he concluded.
Previously, the Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin invited pharmaceutical companies to raise drug prices by 10-20 percent due to the weakening of the rupiah. This followed the weakening of the rupiah exchange rate against the US dollar which began to put pressure on the national pharmaceutical industry.
Dependence on the import of drug raw materials increases production costs, thus raising concerns about rising drug prices in the market. BPOM then prepared policy relaxation and diversification of raw material supply to stabilize prices.