Indonesia promotes domestic medical tourism as a recovery strategy

Based on data recorded by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health in 2021, there is an economic leakage of US$10.4 million per year from Indonesian people opting for medical treatment abroad. The country sees development of domestic medical tourism as a priority in the national strategy to improve post-pandemic health and economic recovery.

Indonesia sees domestic and inbound global medical tourism as a recovery strategy.

The Ministry of Health has continued to collaborate with several parties to implement the four pillars of medical and health tourism development, namely medical tourism, wellness tourism, sports event-based health tourism, and MICE-based (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) scientific health tourism.

Bali is seen as a city and hub for domestic medical tourism, and one of the destinations in the country to have potential to be developed in accordance with the health tourism pillars. Besides strengthening collaboration, the ministry is also making several efforts so that the tourism sector can be connected with the health sector.

The efforts include formulating the National Action Plan (RAN) for Medical Tourism and Wellness Tourism in Indonesia and supporting and encouraging hospitals and clinics that already exist in Bali to obtain the Decree of the Minister of Health as a medical tourism health service facility.

Another ministry is developing the health exclusive economic zone in Sanur (Bali), and urging regional governments to form a collaborative entity body whose function is to coordinate, advocate, and execute the policies and programmes needed in the context of medical tourism development in their respective regions.

The Ministry of Health has made some progress, one of which has been encouraging the Indonesian diaspora, especially Indonesian doctors who work abroad and those who have advanced knowledge, to return to Indonesia to contribute to developing medical tourism in Indonesia.

Separately, NusaTrip, an Indonesia-based online travel agent and travel platform of Society Pass Incorporated, Southeast Asia’s data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem, has announced a new partnership with Periksa.id, a Jakarta-based health-tech solutions company, to enable and introduce flight search engine services in 200 hospitals and clinics across 13 provinces in Indonesia.