The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an investment of USD 650 million for the upgrade of Indonesia’s primary healthcare facilities and public health laboratories. This marks the third phase of ADB’s support for post-pandemic health reforms in Indonesia. In collaboration with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank, the USD 4 billion initiative aims to address critical gaps and enhance Indonesia’s overall health system resilience.
The approved project, known as the Primary Healthcare and Public Health Laboratories Upgrading and Strengthening (PLUS), directly supports key government initiatives, including the Strengthening of Primary Healthcare in Indonesia (SOPHI) and the Indonesia-Public Health Laboratory System Strengthening (InPULS). The investment targets the improvement of over 10,000 primary healthcare facilities and 500 public health laboratories across the nation.
ADB Country Director for Indonesia, emphasized the project’s importance in standardizing services, narrowing healthcare access gaps, particularly for marginalized communities in remote areas. The support includes equipment procurement, training, and capacity development, focusing on improving the overall quality of healthcare services.
The project will also contribute to climate change mitigation in the health sector by upgrading facilities with energy-efficient equipment. Additionally, the reinforcement of the public health laboratory network is expected to boost health resilience and preparedness in addressing future pandemic threats, including those associated with climate change.
(Source: Asian Development Bank)
