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On 7 August 2023 Indonesia Investments released the July 2023 edition of its monthly report, zooming in on various economic, political and social matters that were relevant in the month of July 2023.
On Tuesday 11 July 2023, Indonesia’s House of Representatives (or DPR) passed the Omnibus Health bill into law. The only two political parties (both opposition parties) that voted against this bill were the Democratic Party (PD) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Main reasons behind their rejection involved the rushed deliberation, and the removal of mandatory government spending on the health sector.
Those who have been following the international news should be aware that there are growing signs that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are not enough to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In Singapore, vaccinated individuals now account for about 75 percent of the city state's COVID-19 infections.
Although Indonesia’s healthcare industry has grown in terms of size and access in recent years, concern persists about the quality and capacity of Indonesia’s healthcare industry. Hence, those Indonesians who have enough money at their disposal (or expats residing in Indonesia) often prefer to travel to a hospital in Singapore or Malaysia when they need a medical checkup or treatment.
On Thursday (08/04/2020) Indonesia Investments released the March 2020 edition of its monthly update. In this edition, titled 'Coronavirus Panic Peaks Worldwide', we obviously focus on the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the Indonesian economy and Indonesian society.
Although Indonesia still has a relatively low number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases (COVID-19), namely 790 per Wednesday 25 March 2020, it is assumed that this number will rise rapidly in the weeks, perhaps months, to come. Some expats have decided to leave Indonesia and head back to their home country, while others have remained in Indonesia. Those expats who remain here, what can they do to limit risks of becoming infected with COVID-19?
In many supermarkets, shops, and places of worship across Indonesia you can now find antibacterial hand wash bottles near the cashier or entrance that can be used for free by the people.
Health tourism (or medical tourism), which refers to those people who travel abroad in search of medical treatment, has been growing rapidly in recent years. Today, over 50 nations have determined health tourism as a source of growth for their foreign exchange earnings.
Per September 2017 around 70 percent of the Indonesian population participates in the government's universal healthcare program (in Indonesian: Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN), a program that was implemented by the social security agency Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan (BPJS) in early 2014. This government-subsidized program aims to provide all Indonesian citizens with access to a wide range of health services by 2019.
Commission I of Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) plans to revise Law No. 32/2002 on Broadcasting by adding a full ban on the advertisement of tobacco-related products on television and radio. Indonesia's tobacco industry, a massive industry in Southeast Asia's largest economy, objects to this plan. This ban would also have a big affect on government revenue (excise duties on cigarettes are a key source of government revenue) as well as on revenue generated by media institution because tobacco companies are the fifth-largest advertiser in Indonesia.
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It is interesting to take a quick look at Indonesia’s national healthcare program (in Indonesian: Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional, JKN) that is managed by the government’s Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).
The COVID-19 crisis in Indonesia continues to show an easing trend reflected in the declining number of new positive COVID-19 test results across the Archipelago in September 2021 (a trend that started in mid-July 2021 when the tsunami-shaped wave of new COVID-19 cases peaked).
For more than a year now, small-scale studies from around the world suggest that a medicine called Ivermectin (which is actually used to treat various types of parasite infestations) is effective to combat COVID-19, both in a prophylactic (prevention) and therapeutic (treatment) setting.
On 1 July 2021 Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced emergency measures (in Indonesian: Pemberlakukan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat Darurat, or PPKM Darurat, which roughly translates to the Enforcement of Restrictions on Activities in Society) in a renewed effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pharmaceutical industry has been a center of focus in the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis because it has an important role to play. This industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets (pharmaceutical) drugs for use as medications, with the aim to cure the patients, vaccinate them, or alleviate the symptoms. Hence, developing a vaccine or cure to COVID-19 is the responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry.
Across the globe governments and pharmaceutical companies are busy working on a vaccine to make people immune against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Having the availability of a reliable vaccine would be a solution because COVID-19 seems to spread quite easily, while the majority of the world's population remains vulnerable to the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) repeatedly emphasizes that hygienic sanitation facilities are crucial for public health. It is estimated that each year around 842,000 people in low and middle-income countries die as a result of inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. Poor sanitation is believed to be the main cause in some 280,000 of these deaths.
The Indonesian government launched its universal healthcare program (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional, or JKN) on 1 January 2014. This government-subsidized program aims to cover all Indonesian citizens - providing them with access to a wide range of health services – by the year 2019.
Health awareness in Indonesia is at a very low level, especially in the cities, as Indonesians tend to eat too much unhealthy food and exercise too little. Therefore, health awareness is something that needs to be encouraged in Indonesia. However, government programs - such as the "Healthy Four, Perfect Five" principles - seem to have limited effect and therefore there is plenty of room for the private sector to encourage consumers to lead a healthier lifestyle. In fact, encouraging a healthier lifestyle can become part of a business model.
Culinary is certainly a promising business in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta. Jakarta Dining Index Research done by Qraved reveals that every year, Jakartans dine out as many as 380 million times and spend up to IDR 21.4 trillion (approx. USD $1.5 billion). This fact is supported by huge growth of mid-scale restaurants (amounting up to 250 percent) in the last five years. It is therefore not surprising that Jakarta has an abundant option of restaurants.
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