Jakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 pandemic has taught Indonesia the importance of building health sector resilience, Deputy Minister of Health, Dante Saksono, has said.

"Turns out, the pandemic teaches (us) to strengthen resilience and coordination because the health sector is a shared responsibility. The coordination carried out by the Ministry of Health includes not only the health sector but also many aspects because everyone sees that the fall in the health sector will make other sectors fall as well," he said at the 2022 IDX Channel Economic Outlook, which was accessed here on Wednesday.

Throughout the pandemic, to keep Indonesia's health system resilient, ministries and institutions automatically coordinated under the leadership of President Joko Widodo, he noted.
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Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that in handling the pandemic, the government is trying to balance the interests of various ministries and institutions, especially those related to the economic and health sectors.

The Ministry of Health is trying to contribute to the national economy through the health sector by transforming health system resilience, especially regarding pharmaceuticals and medical devices, he pointed out.

"The government will continue to encourage local production, attract foreign pharmaceutical industries for investment, and provide fiscal facilities for research activities in Indonesia," he said.

The pandemic has also prompted the government to look for a new balance point between the health sector and the economy, he added. Because, without taking into account the community's economic condition, the government will face problems in improving people's to access health facilities.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 15, 2021, at least 4,259,644 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,110,811 people have recovered, and 143,969 people have succumbed to the deadly virus

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Translator: Sanya Dinda, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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