Foreign Investment Is Accelerated, Luhut: Australian And Singapore Hospitals Will Enter Indonesia, Jokowi Has Agreed

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (Photo: Setkab)

JAKARTA - The government opens up opportunities for international hospital networks to invest in the country. This is to prevent foreign exchange from flowing abroad. Because, not only do they like to take vacations, some of Indonesia's upper class people also often seek treatment abroad.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that currently his party is trying to approach a number of international hospital networks so that they can invest in Indonesia.

In fact, Luhut claims, the plan has also been approved by President Joko Widodo. Later, the hospital will be located in three locations, namely Jakarta, Bali and Medan.

"There are several hospitals that we approve (approve), later we will ask them to compete. There are Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins, Anderson, from Australia, some from Singapore, and so on," he said, at the Indonesian Listed Companies Association (AEI) event. 'Outlook 2021', Wednesday, 21 October.

Luhut reasoned that the investment in international hospitals was not only intended so that people did not need to seek medical treatment abroad. However, the opening of this foreign hospital can also encourage technology transfer, and the quality of Indonesian doctors and health workers can be improved.

"So we just let Indonesia enter an era that is truly moving forward," he explained.

According to Luhut, every year the foreign exchange of countries that run abroad reaches 6 to 7 billion US dollars per year for medical treatment and traveling. But during a pandemic, people can survive not going abroad for months.

"If you see, for 7 months we did not go abroad, so it turns out that we also survive," he said.

Previously, Luhut also said that the government would make it easier for foreign doctors to operate in the international hospital that was to be built. This is done by giving them a special visa so that the administrative process needed to enter Indonesia can be easier.

Regarding the plan to bring in this foreign doctor, Luhut claimed to have received approval from President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"The President (Jokowi) has agreed that we will open an international hospital. So, doctors who are class 1 can practice and transfer technology with our doctors, so that our people do not spend (money) on medical treatment abroad," said Luhut in a webinar that was held by Apindo, Thursday, August 13.