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Health Minister Budi seeks to curb outbound medical tourism
Indonesians spend hundreds of millions of US dollars a year in medical treatment abroad, according to a 2009 estimate. The country wants to bring that spending home.
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Then-Inalum president director Budi Gunadi Sadikin speaks to the press at his office in South Jakarta on July 17, 2018. (JP/Damar Harsanto)
H
ealth Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday that ongoing healthcare system reforms were expected, in part, to reduce the number of citizens who opted to travel abroad for medical treatment.
He said the reforms included increasing hospital bed numbers, especially in eastern Indonesia, and improving the quality of medical services and equipment.
"[This is] so that we will not have 600,000 Indonesians going to [other] ASEAN countries just to have medical check-ups," he said, citing PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) data.
The government has long sought to curb outbound medical tourism, which costs the country hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost business opportunities, according to a 2009 report by research and consulting firm Frost and Sullivan.
The consultancy estimated that in Singapore and Malaysia alone, Indonesians spent S$800 million (US$585.77 million) and RM160 million ($37.97 million) per year, respectively, for healthcare over the preceding three years.
Many Indonesians turn to neighboring countries like Singapore for treatment, including high-profile figures such as senior corruption investigator Novel Baswedan and Kristiani "Ani" Herrawati, the late wife of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Read also: Rich Indonesians spend big on overseas medical expenses
