This was conveyed by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during the dissemination of information on Presidential Instruction Number 9 of 2025 here on Monday.
He said that village clinics and pharmacies play a role in implementing government programs in the field of public health services. They can carry out commercial activities through cooperatives, in addition to government program services, he noted.
According to Sadikin, for the purpose, Indonesia already has the necessary infrastructure and only requires human resources, services, and regulations.
He said that to transform into business units, village clinics need to offer a curative element, for instance, they can treat common ailments such as stomach aches, coughs, or diarrhea.
In terms of infrastructure, the strengthening of the village health service units (UPKD) is needed, he added. Of around 83 thousand villages in total, at least 29 thousand still need such units.
He further said that there are around 5,830 UPKDs that are heavily damaged and need to be renovated.
"We have the business model to establish them. It needs around Rp1 billion (around US$59,538) to build the building for the village pharmacy and village clinic," he revealed.
He said that a budget of Rp700 billion can be used to build 700 village clinics and pharmacy buildings this year.
The ministry is pursuing cooperation with other ministries, such as the Coordinating Ministry for Food, to devise a regulation first.
Sadikin also underlined the need to prepare and establish a business model for village clinics and pharmacies in cooperation with the Ministry of Cooperatives, the Ministry of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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