The Indonesian Ministry of Health has signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Swedish government and healthcare companies to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the health sector. These agreements were formalized during the Sweden-Indonesia Sustainability Partnership (SISP) Healthcare Conference held in Jakarta last month.
The Indonesian Health Minister highlighted that the signed MoUs demonstrate a shared commitment between Indonesia and Sweden to enhance public health and improve the quality of life in Indonesia.
The main MoU, signed by the Indonesian and Swedish Health Ministers, outlines a wide-ranging partnership that includes information and knowledge exchange, capacity-building through training, and support for joint ventures in the healthcare sector. It also promotes collaboration in advanced areas such as precision medicine, robotic surgery, artificial intelligence, digital health technologies, and healthcare policy development.
A second MoU was signed between the Secretariat General of Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and Swedish hygiene and health company Essity. The agreement aims to strengthen capacity-building efforts and facilitate the exchange of expertise in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a rising global health concern.
A third agreement, signed between the Directorate General of Advanced Healthcare of the Indonesian Ministry of Health and the Swedish development finance institution Swedfund, allocates SEK 9 million (approximately USD 946,000) to fund a feasibility study for the establishment of a radiotherapy center. The study will begin at Dharmais Cancer Hospital in Jakarta and aims to strengthen Indonesia’s cancer treatment infrastructure.
The Directorate for Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control also signed a fourth Memorandum of Understanding with global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. The partnership aims to strengthen strategies for preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continue to pose a significant public health challenge in Indonesia.
In addition to the formal agreements, Indonesia and Sweden launched a pilot initiative under the GARDA (Growing Access to Reliable Diagnostics for Adolescent Boys) project. Led by Swedish company HemoCue in collaboration with the Jakarta Health Office, the initiative aims to enhance anemia diagnostics for school-aged boys in Jakarta, promoting early detection and treatment of nutritional deficiencies.
The signing of multiple MoUs and the launch of new projects underscore the strengthening partnership between Indonesia and Sweden, with a shared focus on healthcare innovation, equity, and enhanced access to services.
(Source: The Gulf Observer)
