Indonesia Is Considered To Have Health Resilience In 5-10 Years

Hospital illustration. (Between-Galih)

JAKARTA - Deputy President Director of Bio Farma Group Soleh Udin Al-Ayubi believes Indonesia can achieve health sovereignty in the next 10 years.

He said, if Indonesia achieves health resilience, it means that the state is ready to face various diseases. Including infrastructure readiness, health workers, medicines, and vaccines.

"National health resilience is indeed our homework as a nation. If the government is serious about preparing it, we should be able to hold it for the next 5-10 years (in the future). But consistency and involvement of all parties are needed," he said while speaking with the Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the Media Center discussion. Advanced Indonesia, in a written statement, Friday 15 December.

According to him, when Indonesia achieves health resilience, it is undeniable that the results of collaboration with stakeholders from various countries share with each other in facing world health problems.

But national health resilience does not mean we can fulfill everything alone, alone. No one will be alone. We still have to collaborate with global partners from various countries. Because there are many diseases, whether they are contagious or not, which are too big to face alone by 1 or 2 countries," he continued.

On the one hand, Soleh said that Bio Farma as a state-owned pharmaceutical sector continues to strive to support the realization of national health resilience.

In meeting domestic needs, he said, Bio Farma is able to produce 8 of the 14 vaccines needed by the Indonesian people. Of the 35 medicinal raw materials that are the top priority, this SOE has been able to develop 17 raw materials and is preparing the 18th.

So far, Bio Farma has also provided 76 percent of the global polio vaccine needs. In fact, almost 700 million people in the world have used Bio Farma products every year.

Even though our homework is still a lot, we must be proud of Bio Farma's achievements. We as SOEs will use all our abilities to be able to meet domestic needs. At the same time, we play a role globally. So Bio Farma is the BUMN that is most ready to go global," said Soleh.

Minister of Health Budi added that health sovereignty is one of the three main tasks given by President Joko Widodo. This order was stated by the ministry through six pillars of health transformation.

In simple terms, Budi explained that the peak of this transformation is that all Indonesians have quality and cheap access to health, do not need to go abroad for treatment, the doctor is prosperous, the fundamentals of strong health financing, to be independent about medical devices, including high-tech ones.

"So the President's order at that time carried out a massive health transformation, because we were proven not to be ready to face a pandemic (COVID-19) of this magnitude. And that is also a law order that says the state is obliged to provide health services to the public. If later treatment is still in Malaysia or Singapore, that means we are not sovereign, "said Budi