Germas, A Healthy Life Community Movement Scheduled By President Jokowi On February 27, 2017

President Jokowi on his agenda invited the Indonesian people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. (Twitter/X @Jokowi)

JAKARTA - Today, seven years ago, February 27, 2017, President Jokowi is serious about organizing the Healthy Life Community Movement (Germas). The declaration was confirmed by the presence of a Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 1 of 2007.

It invites all levels of government to make healthy living as a foundation for life. Previously, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) considered that life was not healthy, so the estuary of increasing medical costs. As a result, the Ministry of Health began to invite the Indonesian people to live a healthy life.

Health management in Indonesia has many problems. Problems can arise from an uneven health system. It could also be from limited infrastructure and health workers. A series of existing problems make government homework increase.

The government must be able to improve health services to create appropriate health resources. In fact, there is a narrative that considers that qualified health workers must come from foreign graduates.

The Indonesian government, especially the Ministry of Health, has looked at this problem in advance. They consider a series of health matters to be handled appropriately. If necessary, all kinds of government resources are directed to improve health services.

Minister of Health Nila Farid Moeloek also said that the government does not only focus on treatment. However, the most important thing is actually preventive efforts by adopting a healthy lifestyle. That assumption is not just an empty message.

Nila considers preparing good health services is necessary. It's just that the Indonesian people need to be educated to make a healthy lifestyle. All of this is due to the prevention of all kinds of infectious and non-communicable diseases depending on a healthy lifestyle.

If you are getting healthier, then various diseases can be overcome. Therefore, preventive measures with healthy living are able to reduce the budget for efforts to treat diseases.

This is a threat to our nation. A productive age with a large amount that should contribute to development, will actually be threatened if the health degree is disturbed by non-communicable diseases and unhealthy living behavior.

"Efforts to reduce the budget burden must be in line with changes in the paradigm. In fact, people's behavior is to have a more healthy paradigm and adopt a healthy lifestyle," Nila said as quoted by the Ministry of Health's website, November 14, 2016.

The Ministry of Health has also promoted the Healthy Indonesia Program. However, the move did not stand alone. President Jokowi also has the same concern to promote a healthy lifestyle for the Indonesian people.

He and his staff have also announced the Healthy Life Movement (Germas) since 2016. The emergence of the movement was strengthened by Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2017 which was published on February 27, 2017. Germas itself is a systematic and planned action taken by all levels of government to promote a healthy life.

Each level of government has its own duties. Germas' presence is also considered an accurate assessment to reduce the costs incurred by the community for treatment. Starting from cultivating daily physical activities, not smoking, to checking health regularly.

In order to accelerate and synergize actions from promotive and preventive efforts to live a healthy life in order to increase population productivity and reduce the burden of financing health services due to disease. Hereby instruct, First, Ministers of the Working Cabinet. Second, Heads of Non-Ministerial Government Institutions.

"Third, the President Director of the Health Social Security Administration. Fourth, the Governors and Regents/Mayors. For the first time, establish policies and take steps according to their respective duties, functions, and authorities to realize Germa," Jokowi explained in his Presidential Instruction.