TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said he hopes Elon Musk's internet provider, Starlink, will be installed in community health centers across Indonesia for less than US$50 per month. The Elon Musk-funded internet provider will support health facilities in remote areas in Indonesia.

"There are 2,200 community health centers with terrible access (to the internet). That's what we discussed with Elon Musk, is it possible to connect 745 health centers in remote areas to the internet? Why? Because we are planning to conduct massive digitalization," said Budi in the State Palace area, on Monday, August 14, 2023.

According to Budi, vaccination screening, immunization, and anthropometric scales for stunting will be digitalized. With Elon's Starlink, the most remote health center will have a 200mbps internet capacity with lower prices than local providers. Currently, Minister Budi is negotiating with Elon Musk to implement the same internet price as Rwanda in Indonesia.

"We are hoping for under US$50 per month with a fast internet capacity," said Budi.

Previously, Budi explained that out of 10,000 health centers across Indonesia, 2,000 does not have access to the internet. Meanwhile, internet will facilitate the public to access health services more easily. "With access to the internet, health consultation can be conducted online. Healthcare workers' development can also be conducted through long-distance training," said Minister Budi.

Starlink is part of Elon Musk's company SpaceX. So far, Starlink has cooperated with several countries such as the Philippines, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Nigeria to provide internet access to their healthcare facilities.

M. JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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