Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health is aiming to manufacture 306 CT scanner units by 2027 to expand access to screening and diagnostic services for citizens nationwide.

Director general of pharmaceuticals and medical devices at the ministry, Lucia Rizka Andalusia, revealed that there are still many people who do not have access to screening devices that use advanced technologies, such as CT scanners.

"The collaboration of several parties has resulted in the first CT scanner production facility in Indonesia," she said while launching the country's first CT scanner production facility in Bogor, West Java, on Monday.

The facility is something to be proud of, she added, considering that the device is quite complex to make.

If the facility can help meet the target to supply 306 CT scanners, then that would help lower health costs and expand public access to advanced diagnostics services, she said.

Andalusia informed that the government is prioritizing the domestic production of 10 types of medical devices.

Of the total, seven use medium technology that can be made locally. Meanwhile, the remaining three -- CT Scan, MRI, and PET Scan devices -- require medium to high technology.

Therefore, she expressed her gratitude for the first CT scanner production facility, a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Health, GE Healthcare, Kalbe Farma, and Forsta Kalmedic Global.

It is hoped the locally made CT scanners will meet government requirements, which will be shared later in a tender, so that they can compete with foreign products, she said.

She will pursue cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) to support the development of the national medical device industry, including through the domestic component level (TKDN) policy.

Andalusia said she hopes the achievement will inspire other medical device innovations in Indonesia and strengthen national health resilience.

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