The Ministry Of Health Calls The Health Bill An Effort To Independence Of The Domestic Pharmaceutical Industry

Illustration of the Ministry of Health's laboratory for scientific research. (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Director General of Pharmacy and Medical Devices (Farmalkes) of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Rizka Andalucia said the Draft Law (RUU) on Health contained a number of articles that seek the independence of Indonesian pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

"Strengthening the industrial business scheme, it is clear how the government is positioning in facilitating business strengthening and taking sides with the independence of the domestic industry to increase industrial competitiveness and national competitiveness," he said on the agenda of the 'Public Hearing of the Health Bill related to the Availability of Health Farmalkes', Jakarta, Monday, March 27, was confiscated by Antara.

Director General Rizka said that the participation of various parties in the Health Bill is an input so that people get better and more efficient access to health services.

In addition, said Rizka, the Health Bill will increase independence in producing pharmaceutical preparations and medical devices. The solutions offered include encouraging the use of raw materials and domestic products and providing incentives for the domestic industry.

He said the Health Bill also includes efforts to build a research ecosystem that supports innovation by providing infrastructure and facilitating licensing.

To solve health system problems, the government includes regulations on government responsibilities, preservation, and utilization of raw materials, research, prioritized domestic production, as well as optimizing incentives and increasing the competitiveness of the domestic pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing industry.

In the Health Bill, there are also arrangements for strategies to achieve the independence of pharmaceutical preparation and medical devices that can be achieved through strengthening the supply chain which is integrated from upstream to downstream.

The fulfillment of domestically produced pharmaceutical preparations is intended to achieve resilience with various policy steps in favor of the national industry.

To support innovation and research ecosystems, the government provides convenience in the implementation of national downstream research to increase the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical and medical device preparation industry.

The Health Bill also answers national needs in dealing with emergencies, uncertainty in access to pharmaceutical preparation and medical devices experienced by various countries, including Indonesia, as well as to anticipate an increase in pandemic diseases and intervals.

In this bill, the government proposes additional substance of the regulation on standard policies, systems, and management of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in the conditions of KLB, outbreaks, and disasters, so that Indonesia has resilience to all conditions that occur, including access to pharmaceutical preparation and global medical devices.