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On 7 August 2023 Indonesia Investments released the July 2023 edition of its monthly report, zooming in on various economic, political and social matters that were relevant in the month of July 2023.
On Tuesday 11 July 2023, Indonesia’s House of Representatives (or DPR) passed the Omnibus Health bill into law. The only two political parties (both opposition parties) that voted against this bill were the Democratic Party (PD) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). Main reasons behind their rejection involved the rushed deliberation, and the removal of mandatory government spending on the health sector.
Those who have been following the international news should be aware that there are growing signs that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are not enough to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In Singapore, vaccinated individuals now account for about 75 percent of the city state's COVID-19 infections.
Although Indonesia’s healthcare industry has grown in terms of size and access in recent years, concern persists about the quality and capacity of Indonesia’s healthcare industry. Hence, those Indonesians who have enough money at their disposal (or expats residing in Indonesia) often prefer to travel to a hospital in Singapore or Malaysia when they need a medical checkup or treatment.
On Thursday (08/04/2020) Indonesia Investments released the March 2020 edition of its monthly update. In this edition, titled 'Coronavirus Panic Peaks Worldwide', we obviously focus on the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the Indonesian economy and Indonesian society.
Although Indonesia still has a relatively low number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases (COVID-19), namely 790 per Wednesday 25 March 2020, it is assumed that this number will rise rapidly in the weeks, perhaps months, to come. Some expats have decided to leave Indonesia and head back to their home country, while others have remained in Indonesia. Those expats who remain here, what can they do to limit risks of becoming infected with COVID-19?
In many supermarkets, shops, and places of worship across Indonesia you can now find antibacterial hand wash bottles near the cashier or entrance that can be used for free by the people.
Health tourism (or medical tourism), which refers to those people who travel abroad in search of medical treatment, has been growing rapidly in recent years. Today, over 50 nations have determined health tourism as a source of growth for their foreign exchange earnings.
Per September 2017 around 70 percent of the Indonesian population participates in the government's universal healthcare program (in Indonesian: Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or JKN), a program that was implemented by the social security agency Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan (BPJS) in early 2014. This government-subsidized program aims to provide all Indonesian citizens with access to a wide range of health services by 2019.
Commission I of Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) plans to revise Law No. 32/2002 on Broadcasting by adding a full ban on the advertisement of tobacco-related products on television and radio. Indonesia's tobacco industry, a massive industry in Southeast Asia's largest economy, objects to this plan. This ban would also have a big affect on government revenue (excise duties on cigarettes are a key source of government revenue) as well as on revenue generated by media institution because tobacco companies are the fifth-largest advertiser in Indonesia.
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Direct investment in the medical device industry of Indonesia soared nearly seven-fold to IDR 4.7 trillion (approx. USD $343 million) in 2017 (compared to the preceding year). Rising investment stems from new as well as existing local companies, foreign investors, and local-foreign joint ventures. But what is behind this growth?
The tobacco and cigarette business in Indonesia is big business. Two tobacco companies are positioned within the top ten of largest companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (in terms of market capitalization) as there exists a huge market for cigarettes in Indonesia with some 65 percent of Indonesian men being smokers (due to Indonesia's socio-cultural context few Indonesian women smoke). Moreover, the Indonesian government seems unwilling to limit cigarette consumption (both active and passive smoking) among the population.
Relatively frequently Indonesia is shocked by major scandals; usually it is a high-profile corruption case involving politicians or big businessmen but since Friday (24/06) a new scandal arose that has been keeping local media busy. This scandal is more sensitive as it involves the health of little children. Apparently, fake vaccines have been given to children - primarily to babies under one year old - across Java for the past 13 years. Police arrested a total of 16 people on grounds that they have been involved in the production and distribution of fake counterfeit vaccines.
Indonesia's slowing economic growth, weaker purchasing power and an 8.7 percent increase in excise on tobacco products (in early 2015) had a relatively small impact on the financial performance of Indonesia's listed tobacco companies HM Sampoerna, Gudang Garam, Bentoel Internasional Investama and Wismilak Inti Makmur. Whereas companies active in various other sectors of the Indonesian economy were plagued by falling revenue and profit figures, these tobacco firms still posted solid gains in revenue and - to a lesser degree - net profit growth. This shows that Indonesian smokers are faithful to their "death stick".
Although Indonesia's National Health Insurance program is not without problems, it does benefit Indonesian hospitals and makes investment in the nation's hospital sector attractive, particularly as the Indonesian government targets to provide universal health care to all Indonesians by the year 2019. Reportedly, those hospitals that receive patients that fall under Indonesia's Healthcare and Social Security Agency (Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial, or BPJS Kesehatan) are the busiest hospitals in Indonesia at the moment.
Companies active in the pharmaceutical industry of Indonesia need to find strategies to overcome sharp rupiah depreciation. Indonesia’s pharmaceutical industry is still - to a large extent - dependent on the import of raw materials, hence a weakening rupiah raises the costs of imports thus eroding profit margins. Since May 2013, when the US Federal Reserve started to hint at monetary tightening, the US dollar has experienced bullish momentum. Between the May 2013 and July 2015, the rupiah depreciated around 37 percent against the US dollar.
One of the solid growing markets in Indonesia that remains untapped is the water purifier market. Although Indonesia holds six percent of the world’s fresh water resources, the quality of Indonesia’s public piped water is inadequate (contaminated with E. coli, fecal coliforms and other pathogens). Moreover, roughly 80 percent of the Indonesian population lacks access to piped water hence relying on river water for drinking, washing and bathing. However, the water of most Indonesian rivers do not meet drinking water requirements.
Although most Indonesians still prefer to eat rice and noodles as part of their daily diet, an increasing number of Indonesians (particularly those who live in the urban environments and have adjusted to an ‘urban lifestyle’) have started to consume cereals and bread. In fact, Indonesia has become the world’s second-largest wheat importer and ranks among East Asia’s largest cereal importers. The country is dependent on these imports as domestic production of grains is close to zero (the climate doesn’t suit cultivation).
A new World Bank report, entitled “The Double Burden of Malnutrition in Indonesia”, says that 37.2 percent of Indonesian children under the age of five - or 8.4 million children - are stunted (meaning excessively small for their age) and suffer from chronic malnutrition. As such, Indonesia has the fifth-highest level of stunting in the world. The report also states that 19.6 percent of Indonesian children under five years old (approximately 4.4 million) are underweight as a result of malnutrition. Public awareness about this issue is low in Indonesia.
Mitra Keluarga Karyasehat, a leading Indonesian hospital operator and subsidiary of the Kalbe Group, plans to raise about IDR 4.2 trillion (USD $328 million) in an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in March 2015. The company plans to offer up to 261.9 million shares, or 18 percent of its enlarged equity, to the public. Five percent of this total constitute new shares, while 13 percent are shares divested by private equity firm Lion Investment Partners.
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