Indonesia

Poor access to healthcare still a major problem in RI The Jakarta Post 22 May 2010

Problems with accessible and affordable healthcare are common in Indonesia and most ASEAN countries, but there are solutions, says lawmaker Nova Riyanti Yusuf.  The problem of accessibility could be solved with the provision of an insurance system that would help people access healthcare, she said.

Despite the general problem of increasing demand for quality healthcare, there are also specific problems experienced by ASEAN countries, which have different financial structures or market characteristics.  “In the case of developed economies, the biggest health challenges are chronic diseases and the fact that the population is living longer.  As you get older, you end up with more chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, which are typically more expensive to manage,” Haydon said.

World-Class Hospitals Needed in Indonesia to Stop Patient Flight: SBY Jakarta Globe 21 May 2010

he country needs more inter­nationally accredited hospitals to stem the flow of patients to such countries as Singapore and Malaysia, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday.  “We need to boost the capacity of the country’s health care providers,” he said at a National Health Development seminar in Jakarta hosted by the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine. “Having already built clinics and community health care centers [Puskesmas], we now need to focus on building modern hospitals with international standards — world-class hospitals.”

Yudhoyono said it was worrying that many middle- and high-income Indonesians chose to go elsewhere in Southeast Asia for treatment. Singapore and Thailand have long been acknowledged as medical-tourism hubs, while Malaysia, with a booming health sector, offers packages at very competitive prices.   

INDONESIA: Anti-malaria efforts focus on pregnant women, children IRIN 20 May 2010

Health authorities are successfully battling malaria in remote eastern Indonesia by linking efforts to fight the mosquito-borne disease to maternal and child healthcare.  "Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable to malaria, and modern malaria diagnosis and prevention can be delivered via existing maternal health and immunisation services in a symbiotic way," said William Hawley, a malaria expert with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Nurses and midwives help the malaria programme with diagnosis, treatment and bed net distribution, Hawley said. Furthermore, because people want bed nets, more women use antenatal care and bring their children to be immunised.

"The malaria programme, the antenatal care programme, and the expanded programme on immunisation all benefit, but most important - women and kids benefit," Hawley said.

Philippines

New President needs to achieve universal healthcare, say experts Philippine Daily Inquirer 5 May 2010
 

IF THE NEW PRESIDENT PREFERS A rude awakening to the problems facing the Philippines' healthcare system, he should look for transcripts of the Health Financing Summit held April 14 at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium in UP Diliman. He would have to seek answers to these six-year questions:

Why does the poor have to subsidize the rich? Why is lowering the prices of medicine not nearly enough? When does the hospital system become part of the problem? What is universal healthcare and why is healthcare financing the first step to achieving it? Is universal healthcare just a matter of money? Why is a car worth more than a human life when insurance is concerned?

Singapore

Singapore pact: Thumbs-up for Indian generics The Hindu Business Line 12 May 2010

Singapore's decision to fast-track approvals for Indian generic drugs, allowing them greater market access into the country, is being seen as a quality endorsement of Indian generic drugs. Though Singapore is small in terms of market-size, the development is significant, coming at a time when Indian generic drugs are fighting efforts in some quarters across the world to equate them with fake medicines.

Singapore's generic thumbs-up also comes as concerns abound on the different Free Trade Agreements that India is in the process of formalising with other countries and the Intellectual Property related impact these economic agreements could have on generic-drug makers. Generic drugs are off-patent medicines or drugs similar to original drugs, but cost much less. Under pressure to keep healthcare costs down, several governments across the world, including the US, Germany, Japan and now Singapore are looking at getting generic drugs onto their programmes.

END MEMO

If you have questions regarding the Council's regular updates and e-mail distribution, please send an email to Anthony Nelson at anelson@usasean.org.

For more updates follow the Council on Facebook and Twitter.