Many residents in Penang and Singapore

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The coordinating minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments (Kemenkomarves), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, wants to import foreign hospitals to Indonesia. Luhut also considered allowing and allowing more foreign doctors in Indonesia.

One of the considerations is that many +62 residents happened to be seeking treatment in Singapore and Penang.

Luhut said that, some time ago, PwC’s analysis in 2015 indicated that Indonesia is the country of origin for medical tourists with a total of 600,000 people, the largest in the world surpassing the United States with 500,000 medical tourists there. year.

Seeing this potential, his party, along with the relevant K / L ranks, today coordinated plans to develop medical tourism in Indonesia.

Quoted from his Instagram Social Media, Luhut said that this plan was being reviewed for several considerations, one of which was the fact that the average spending of medical tourists was US $ 3,000 – 10,000 per person.

Photo: Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. (CNBC Indonesia / Anisatul Umah)

“Meanwhile, our people prefer to seek treatment in Penang and Singapore because they feel that their health services are relatively cheap and heal faster,” Luhut said.

“But there is an experience that I heard from an ophthalmologist that many patients who used to go to Singapore now seek treatment in Indonesia because they are not comfortable with quarantine.”

“By looking at these facts, I think we need to build ‘trust’ to build the confidence of medical tourists in Indonesia.”

According to Luhut, through this medical tourism, the government wants Indonesia to diversify its economy, attract foreign investment, provide jobs, develop the health services industry in Indonesia, and curb the rate of health services and our currencies so that they do not flow. to more prosperous countries.

“To support this medical tourism industry, I believe that government support is necessary through mass promotion and other support facilities, such as the construction of international standard hospitals like John Hopkins in the United States.”

“That is why I asked BKPM to look for potential investors to build international class hospitals in Jakarta, Bali and Medan. We will also consider permits for foreign doctors, for certain specialists, but it must be according to needs.”

“I hope that the momentum of this pandemic crisis can be used seriously to improve the infrastructure, support facilities and regulations of health services in Indonesia so that they can be even better by creating good and integrated planning for health. national medical tourism industry “.

(dru)