"In the public service program, we will improve the entire public service laboratory," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin informed at the opening of the “Pharmaceutical and Health Device Technology Exhibition” here on Thursday.
Starting from the integrated health post (posyandu) level, the ministry will provide services such as rapid tests and blood sugar examinations, he said.
Then, the ministry will make sure that all districts and cities have a good laboratory standard, he added.
It is expected that all 300 thousand posyandus in Indonesia will offer good health facilities by 2023 so that all services can be realized and can be felt directly by the people.
"We also expect that, at the level of the province, all health devices will be used well so that it can help in public service readiness," the minister said.
To distribute health services, the ministry will also add supporting health facilities at all hospitals in 514 districts and cities for the treatment of four diseases: heart, kidney, stroke, and nerve diseases.
"Moreover, 50 percent of all drugs, vaccines, and health devices should at least be produced domestically. Thus, we have to encourage all parties to purchase and use medicinal products from their own country," Sadikin said.
To support domestic drug production, the ministry will provide incentives to industries to independently produce their own vaccines and health devices.
"From the Rp38 trillion budget, we will encourage to use them to purchase domestically produced health devices. This year, we have already committed to spending Rp17 trillion on health devices," he informed.
As part of the implementation of the technological transformation in the health sector, the ministry will also develop the Citizen Health App (CHA), which will store people's personal health data for medical purposes, he added.
Through this, people's medical records will be integrated and made secure.
"For the next program, we will also add human resources from health workers, which is important if major incidents, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, occur. Thus, our health workers will be ready," he said.
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Translator: Azmi Syamsul, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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