Jakarta – The Lancet, the world's most prestigious scientific journal in the field of health, has established The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific Commission: Reimagining Healthcare in Indonesia for 2045 and has placed full leadership of Indonesian scientists on this Commission.
To mark Indonesia's achievement, the Ministry of Health launched The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific Commission: Reimagining Healthcare in Indonesia for 2045 on Monday (June 22) in Jakarta. This initiative kicks off a series of collaborations over the next three years.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who had the opportunity to deliver a speech, said that he was very proud that Indonesian scientists were leading a commission for the journal The Lancet for the first time.
"This demonstrates the maturity of our research ecosystem. In the future, we hope to advance from The Lancet Regional to The Lancet International ," said Budi.
Discussing the theme Reimagining Healthcare in Indonesia for 2045 , Minister of Health Budi said it is very important for Indonesia to achieve the ambition of Golden Indonesia by 2045. Indonesia dreams of becoming a high-income country by 2045.
According to Budi, healthy and high-quality human development is the main key to sustainable economic growth to help Indonesia escape the middle-income country trap.
"When we experience a demographic bonus, a high population of productive age can result in a high GNI. If we have a smart and healthy population, we will benefit," Budi explained.
Furthermore, Minister of Health Budi explained that if Indonesia's population of more than 280 million people is unhealthy and not intelligent, it is impossible for Indonesia to achieve a Gross National Income (GNI) of 14.000 USD per capita.
"The future isn't something we inherit; it's something we build. So let's strive for a healthy, quality life," he stressed.
Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific Dr. Jie Cai in his remarks said that the health system in Indonesia has improved rapidly and he expressed his appreciation to all health personnel who have contributed to realizing these reforms.
"Today is the beginning. We will work together to run this commission. It may not be easy; there will be many disagreements and arguments. But ultimately, we all have the same goal," said Jie Cai.
According to Jie Cai, the commission will combine national and international expertise to produce evidence-based recommendations that will generate equitable policies to build a healthier and more accountable Indonesia.
Founding co-chair Dr. Sandersan Onie in his remarks said he invited these extraordinary individuals to join the effort to build a broader health research ecosystem and translate it into literature, especially global literature.
"Indonesia has done a lot and done a great job in transforming its health system, but it has never been introduced into the global literature. We hope that starting today, that will change. Our ambition is to elevate health publications in Indonesia to a new level," said Sandersan.
Sandersan explained that this is the first Lancet journal commission run by Indonesia, and only a handful of countries have had such a commission in the history of the Lancet journal. This means that the transformation of Indonesia's health system will be shared globally in the future, as the commission's founders envisioned.
"We work together to ensure every voice is heard, to improve the publishing ecosystem across the country, so that we all benefit from an article and the journey we undertake together," he explained.
The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific will be run collaboratively and involve scientists from various institutions in Indonesia as co-leaders ( co-chairs) , consisting of Prof. Hasbullah Thabrany (University of Indonesia), Dr. Irmansyah (BRIN), and Prof. Rina Agustina (University of Indonesia & Enhance Global) and Dr. Sandersan Onie (Wellspring Center Indonesia & Research Fellow Harvard Medical School) as founding co-chair.
Meanwhile, the Commissioners are Prof. Asnawi Abdullah (Health Development Policy Agency, Ministry of Health), Dr. Wahyu Pudji Nugraheni (BRIN), Ahmad Fuady, PhD (University of Indonesia,) Dr. Balqis (Hasanuddin University), A/Prof. Inge Dhamanti (Airlangga University), Dr. Julita Hendrartini, PhD (Gadjah Mada University,) A/Prof. Teguh Dartanto, Ph.D (University of Indonesia) and Prof. Byron J. Good from the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Through cross-sectoral synergy between ministries/institutions and the active involvement of universities, professional organizations, international development partners, and civil society, this momentum is expected to be a starting point for strengthening evidence-based policy dialogue and formulating a joint commitment to realizing an equitable, resilient, and sustainable Indonesian health system towards Golden Indonesia 2045. (Author: Kurniatun Karomah, Editor: HDI Work Team)
