Minister Budi Gunadi: Health Intervention is to Protect People from Getting Sick
Translator
Editor
22 July 2023 19:29 WIB
What has changed in the healthcare system after the pandemic?
The national healthcare systems of almost all countries were unprepared when the pandemic hit. People focused only on going to hospitals or healing the sick. That strategy was wrong. That strategy would not (make us) strong to face the pandemic. We let people sick and then treated them in the hospital. Too late, too expensive. People suffered. Health intervention should protect people from falling sick. To keep people healthy. That concept is totally different from the medical concept taught in medical schools, which is to heal the sick.
The Health Law contains an article that requires building owners to provide smoking rooms. Why should something hazardous be obligated?
I don’t remember seeing that article. What I know is the article requires companies to pay for (their employees’) medical bills. The formal text hasn’t been circulated. It is still being processed at the state secretariat.
Has it been changed?
As an outsider, I see that management in health care is dominated by medical people. It should be filled with public health experts because a good health intervention program is to protect people from getting sick. As soon as they come under doctors’ care, the health concept shifts to treatment.
Are you going in that direction?
I’m shifting back. We are leaning towards promotive and preventive primary care. People said they had known that. But the health ministry’s budget didn’t reflect that. We should have pushed promotive and preventive care. For the first time, next year’s budget for puskesmas (health community centers) will exceed Rp10 trillion from Rp4 trillion to Rp5 trillion at most before. And Rp17 trillion for hospitals. Second, our efforts used to be about healing. For instance, what are the tools or drugs for cancer? It should have been efforts to revitalize posyandu (integrated health services post). That’s why our program is to revitalize puskesmas and posyandu, how to change posyandu so that they not only serve pregnant mothers and babies but also maintain the health of the entire community. To promote healthy life and well-being for all people of all ages.
Are there any other initiatives to anticipate the next pandemic?
One Health. For the health of humans and animals. It’s just that a lot of people don’t execute this concept correctly. Now Indonesia wants to lead ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The One Health concept has been implemented in ASEAN. We asked for funds through the pandemic fund so that we can prepare ourselves early to face all the pathogens that may jump over. We can already anticipate them from now.
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