The government will provide medical equipment to hospitals and health centers by 2027

JAKARTA (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Health said the provision of medical equipment to public health centers and hospitals will continue until 2027 as part of the transformation of primary health care, with the program costs pegged at Rp 50 trillion.

Director General for Pharmacy and Health Equipment at the Ministry, Rizka Andalucia, said that the transition from a therapeutic approach to a promotional and preventive approach, which includes screening and vaccinations, must be accompanied by the readiness of medical equipment, i.e. diagnostic tools.

“We want to move from therapeutic activities to promotional and preventive activities. Currently, the health budget is 17 percent for prevention and 67 percent for treatment,” Andalusia emphasized during the televised “National Forum of Pharmacy and Health Equipment.” here on Tuesday.

Examples of necessary screening tests include tests for congenital hyperthyroidism, thalassemia, anemia and cancer in children, as well as cardiovascular disease and stroke in adults, she added. She added that all these projections require appropriate equipment.

She informed that there are currently approximately 10,000 companies operating in Indonesia. public health centers; however, such centers have not yet been established in at least 171 subdistricts such as those established recently. She stressed that primary health care must be provided in these areas.

According to Andalusia, the ministry’s efforts to transform primary health care included providing anthropometric devices to integrated health care facilities (posyandus), as well as ultrasound (ultrasound machines) to reduce maternal mortality, as well as detect breast cancer.

“Two tools that we have massively implemented in all public health centers and integrated health care facilities, both anthropometry and ultrasound, can be produced in the country. We have carried out consolidation and everything uses products manufactured in the country,” she said.

She further said that the revitalization of the primary health care structure and network is accompanied by the improvement of laboratories from the village to the national level.

She added that the provision of medical equipment improved the situation. She cited the example of screening for congenital hyperthyroidism in newborns, which has increased dramatically from 101,797 children screened in 2022 to 1,249,094 in 2023.

She said health problems threaten a child’s development and negatively affect intelligence. She added that through screening, earlier interventions and measures can be implemented to give children with congenital hyperthyroidism a better future.

Related news: The public can only purchase medical devices with distribution permits: the government
Related news: 96.2% of government aid goes to regions to treat catastrophic diseases
Related news: R30 trillion earmarked for devices for patients with catastrophic diseases