Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ministry of Industry has developed a nature-based medicine production facility called the House of Wellness in Jakarta in a bid to boost independence of the country's pharmaceutical industry.

"The House of Wellness, which is a natural medicine production facility built by the Center for Standardization and Services for the Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Packaging Industries, is one of the active roles of the Ministry of Industry in supporting the policy on natural medicine independence," Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated in Jakarta, Tuesday.

The minister remarked that construction of the facility could make natural medicines accessible, affordable, available everywhere, and sustainable.

Through the facility operation, Kartasasmita said, the pharmaceutical industry in the country is expected to produce medicines from standardized natural ingredients.

The initiative is also expected to promote and support microenterprises that produce jamu, Indonesian traditional medicine made from various herbs, roots, bark, flowers, seeds and fruits.

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"I hope that this facility can be utilized optimally, so that it can encourage national pharmaceutical independence through the growth of new industries, upgrading small industries, so that they move up in class," he stated.

Meanwhile, Head of the Industrial Services Standardization and Policy Agency (BSKJI) of the Ministry of Industry Andi Rizaldi remarked that the four-story House of Wellness has been equipped with sophisticated machines and technology for simplicia processing, the initial stage of preparing raw plant materials for use in traditional medicine that involves sorting, washing, draining, chopping, and drying.

Moreover, the facility can carry out extraction, evaporation, and formulation processes, as well as product packaging.

"The production facility has been installed in following standards for good traditional medicine manufacturing process or CPOTB," Rizaldi stated.

The House of Wellness is also a means for the Ministry of Industry to build various forms of collaboration involving elements of academics, business, government, communities, and innovators through an accountable and participatory partnership concept.

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Translator: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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