“In every crisis, we have a great opportunity to move forward. Therefore, the Health Ministry, along with the start-up company East Venture, see this as a good opportunity to carry out major reforms," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin noted in an official statement received here Friday.
Genomics is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the study of an organism's genes, or the genome, and on understanding the mechanism of an organism's working as well as the consequences of interactions between genes and influence of the environment on it.
The genome itself is the genetic material that becomes the blueprint of a living organism. This information is passed down from generation to generation and is stored in the DNA, or in some viruses, in the RNA.
Sadikin stated that his ministry had designed six major reforms, one of which is health technology reform, including biotechnology. In this part, East Venture will play a role to oversee opportunity during the crisis and transform it into a new era of the health system in Indonesia.
This white paper is presented to provide a comprehensive understanding regarding genomics to improve the health system in Indonesia. In addition, this white paper serves as a guide to streamline Indonesia's health system and infrastructure in the future, the minister added.
Sadikin highlighted that most members of Indonesia's population, currently at a young age, are expected to age rapidly and potentially burden the health infrastructure. To mitigate potential health crises, genomics can become an alternative for providing preventive care and appropriate treatment solutions.
With its applications in the medicine and biotechnology sectors, genomics can lead to new treatments, therapies, products, and technologies for patients. The development of genomics also has the potential to transform the healthcare ecosystem, the minister added.
"We are pleased to work with the Ministry of Health in presenting this white paper. We believe that a healthy population is one of the nation's most important assets, and we are committed to play an active role in supporting the development of Indonesia's health journey," Co-Founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures Willson Cuaca stated.
He is also upbeat that the white paper will provide useful insights to support the genomics journey in Indonesia.
Furthermore, the technology in genomics will help improve medical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of critical illness in Indonesia, he stated.
"We will double our investment in this sector, such as to improve medical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of critical illness in Indonesia," Cuaca noted.
The white paper “Genomics: Leapfrogging into the Indonesian health future” can be downloaded free of charge via www.east.vc/genomics. Related news: Bali can become location for genomic data research center: Minister
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Translator: Lifia Mawaddah P, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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