"I want Indonesia to become a high-income country that our children and grandchildren can enjoy. We have to make sure that residents in any regions are healthy and smart," Sadikin noted in a written statement here on Tuesday.
The minister underscored the need for Indonesia to make the most of the peak of the demographic bonus in 2030 by preparing quality, healthy, and smart human resources.
According to Sadikin, health is a fundamental right that should be prioritized.
The minister stated that one of the efforts to realize a healthy Indonesia is implementing several programs on health transformation, especially the pillar of primary care transformation.
Sadikin affirmed that a healthy community is one of the capitals in welcoming the demographic bonus that Indonesia will experience in 2030.
"To create a healthy population, we must make them happy and focus on public health services in local health centers rather than hospitals," he stated.
Related news: Minister highlights health, knowledge to optimize demographic bonus
The minister emphasized that health promotion efforts should be intensified rather than letting people fall ill and shell out money for expensive treatments.
Sadikin believes that national health transformation is not easy, as it is correlated to several other sectors, such as food, agriculture, environment, education, and finance, which are sometimes tricky to balance.
Hence, to this end, the minister stated that transformation of the health system requires collaboration with several partners in other sectors and stakeholders.
"Therefore, I would like to reiterate that the Ministry of Health seeks to strengthen collaboration with partners to support the health system transformation," he stated.
Sadikin cautioned that if Indonesia fails to capitalize on the demographic bonus, it will remain stuck in the middle-income trap forever.
Related news: Complete immunization as an effort to achieve Advanced Indonesia
Related news: Health transformation needed to optimize demographic bonus: Minister
Translator: Sean M, Kenzu
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
