Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasized that building independent national health resilience is an absolute prerequisite for Indonesia to escape the middle-income trap. The statement was delivered during a high-level discussion regarding regional and global health resilience at the office of the National Economic Council (DEN) in Jakarta.
Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic experience, the Health Minister highlighted the importance of national self-reliance in supplying vaccines and medicines. Currently, the government continues to reduce dependency on health product imports—which previously stood above 90 percent—gradually lowering it to 70–80 percent. Concrete steps include the domestic downstreaming of 35 raw pharmaceutical materials.
The government is also focusing on keeping healthcare spending domestic to create new jobs. One ongoing strategic project is the construction of a blood plasma processing facility in Karawang. This facility is projected to independently produce Albumin and Immunoglobulin by early 2027.
Chairman of DEN, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, supported the Ministry of Health's steps as a strategic effort to achieve the national economic growth target of 7–8 percent. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology is believed to make Indonesia's health ecosystem significantly more efficient, transparent, and highly competitive.
To strengthen its strategic position, Indonesia is currently expanding its vaccine production capacity with the target of becoming a research hub in the ASEAN region. Through the drafting of the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2025–2029, the government is optimistic that health sector investments will generate a multiplier effect for the economy, including a potential contribution of 5–6 percent to national GDP by increasing public life expectancy.
