The Philippines’ universal health care (UHC) system is now operative, after President Rodrigo Duterte signed the bill into law in February 2019 and Francisco Duque III, the secretary of health, signed the implementing rules and regulations in October that year. This set the stage for 2020 to be the first year of UHC, strengthened by collaboration and the expertise of the private sector. Limited financing…
On strategies employed during the Covid-19 pandemic and adaptations for the future of health care What were the main challenges your organisation encountered in scaling up treatment facilities for Covid-19 at public hospitals, and how were they overcome? FATHEMA DJAN RACHMAT: Covid-19 is a health crisis like no country has experienced before, and for which no country had a well-established…
On expanding access to care amid a pandemic In what ways have mobile applications helped to limit community transmission of Covid-19 in Indonesia? TERAWAN AGUS PUTRANTO: The Ministry of Health (MoH) created a Covid-19 feature on its SehatPedia app to provide information to the public regarding the transmission and dangers of the virus. SehatPedia also offers a self-assessment tool to facilitate…
Indonesia was in the process of rolling out its Universal Health Care system prior to Covid-19, but disparities in service provision and accessibility remained between different regions. This report looks at how telemedicine and digital services can bridge health care gaps, with a particular focus on how telemedicine firms boosted the response to Covid-19 and the likely long-term implications for…
As variouscountries contend witha second wave of Covid-19, many emerging markets are pinning their hopes on a vaccine that will allow them to confidently reopen their economies without the fear of health services being overwhelmed. With 20m people infected globally and 735,000 virus-related deaths as of August 10, it is becoming increasingly clear that a vaccine is required for…
The government of Papua New Guinea faces some challenges in 2020, with the electorate calling for improvements to social and economic infrastructure, and greater efforts to combat both real and perceived corruption. Despite these difficulties, PNG’s resource wealth and strategic location between the industrial centres of north-east Asia, the rising economies of the Association of South-east Asia
Although the first quarter of 2020 was dominated by disruptions stemming from the global Covid-19 pandemic, 2019 proved a strong year for Indonesia’s economy, which maintained a steady growth rate on the back of robust domestic consumption and continuing efforts to reform policy and simplify investment procedures. This was despite the general election and uncertainty surrounding trade relations
The health care sector in Indonesia is in the midst of change, with the government making a final push to cement the rollout of universal health care (UHC) against the backdrop of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The plan had initially aimed to bring the population of over 268m under coverage by the end of 2019, but it had yet to achieve targeted levels of funding and coverage as of early 2020.…
Interview:Jonathan Sudharta What can be done to effectively limit the community transmission of Covid-19? JONATHAN SUDHARTA: The Covid-19 pandemic is a matter of immediate national and international concern, and poses perhaps the greatest challenge that we have faced as a nation. In light of the need for social distancing, the dissemination of accurate information and proper health care education…
Interview:Terawan Agus Putranto What strategies have been employed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic with regard to public health? TERAWAN AGUS PUTRANTO: It is imperative that all Indonesians join the fight against the spread of Covid-19. Since the virus is spread primarily through contact with infected persons, we have strongly advocated in favour of social distancing throughout the country.…
