Antara News is reporting that Indonesia’s Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said on Thursday (20/2/25,) that the government is opening investments in biotechnology, robotic surgery, artificial intelligence, and digitalization of health services to encourage medical innovation and build a more efficient and sustainable health ecosystem.
He added that health is not just a basic need, but also the best investment for the future of the nation, while technology can help bring major changes in national health services.
“We all have to bring tomorrow to today by utilizing the latest technology, including the use of AI,” he said.
“When someone is sick, they stop working. Poor health causes a loss of productivity and slows economic growth. Therefore, the best investment is investment in health,” he explained.
Antara News says that creating a smart and healthy population is in line with the government’s commitment to realizing the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision, and according to Sadikin, the government is running three main programs as part of the transformation of the national health system while opening opportunities for the private sector to contribute.
According to Antara News, the programs include free health screenings for 280 million people to support early detection and prevention of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
In addition, the government is advancing the construction of 66 hospitals in remote areas to provide equal access to medical services.
As a country with the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world, Indonesia is also targeting to eliminate TB by optimizing the latest diagnostic technology, Sadikin said. More than 5 million people were screened and 870,000 TB cases detected in 2024, he said.
To carry out those programs, the Indonesian government cannot solely rely on global funding, he said.
He then invited the private sector to collaborate, starting from investing in research and production of local TB vaccines, to developing AI technology for early detection, says Antara News.
Source: Antara News
Stock image by Alana Jordan from Pixabay
