Indonesian President seeks basic healthcare reforms

In Jakarta, Indonesia (Photo: AP)

Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has highlighted the need to undertake basic healthcare reforms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his annual national address to parliament on August 14, Widodo said his administration would improve human resources and develop hospitals and health centres as well as the pharmaceutical and medical equipment industry.

He explained that the current economic situation is analogous to a computer crash in which countries are facing stagnation and must undergo a brief process of shutdown, restart, and reboot, adding that Indonesia needs to make a big leap forward by making the most of the ongoing crisis.

The leader also highlighted plans to slash oil imports by using fuel made from palm oil, with the expansion of the state oil firm Pertamina.

Indonesia’s economy contracted 5.32 percent year-on-year in the second quarter. The Government has decided to set aside 47.93 billion USD, or 4.4 percent of GDP, for COVID-19 relief packages in the form of cash and food assistance, tax breaks, electricity bill cuts, and other measures./.