National investment advances robotic surgery, AI and affordable healthcare access
Indonesia is accelerating the adoption of robotic surgery as part of its national healthcare transformation, with the Indonesian Ministry of Health introducing policies aimed at expanding access, improving affordability and strengthening the country’s medical technology capabilities.
Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said robotic surgery is becoming the global standard because it offers greater precision, less pain and faster recovery for patients. While these benefits are already widely available in several neighbouring countries, he noted that robotic surgery in Indonesia remains relatively limited. The government’s priority, he said, is to close that gap by making the technology more accessible while maintaining high standards of care and reducing treatment costs.
To achieve this, the ministry plans to procure 40 surgical robots for public hospitals, establish a national robotics committee, expand specialist training and require technology transfer, particularly for the local production of consumable components, to strengthen Indonesia’s domestic medical device industry. At the same time, the ministry is reviewing whether BPJS Kesehatan, Indonesia’s national health insurance programme, can include robotic surgery within the national financing system, making advanced treatment more affordable for a wider segment of the population.
The initiatives were announced during a ceremony marking nearly 1,000 robotic surgery procedures performed at Bunda Hospital Jakarta, where the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Bunda Hospital Jakarta and the Bandung Institute of Technology (Institut Teknologi Bandung, ITB) also launched a strategic collaboration to support the development of robotic surgery and healthcare technology in Indonesia.
Expanding access also requires a larger pool of skilled specialists. As a foundation for wider adoption of robotic surgery, the government is rolling out nationwide training in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery for surgeons across Indonesia’s 514 regencies and cities. The programme is expected to broaden access to modern procedures, including hernia, appendectomy, gallbladder and digestive surgeries, while equipping more surgeons with the skills needed to adopt robotic-assisted procedures in the future.
Beyond improving patient care, the government sees robotic surgery as an important step towards strengthening Indonesia’s artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare ecosystem. The country is integrating national population, clinical and genomic databases, with robotic surgery data set to be collected nationally to support the development of AI tools that can help surgeons improve precision while ensuring clinical decision-making remains under the control of medical professionals.
Bandung Institute of Technology Rector Tatacipta Dirgantara said Indonesia has strong expertise in biomedical engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence, adding that close collaboration between researchers and clinicians will be essential to developing medical technologies that address Indonesia’s healthcare needs and compete globally.
With sustained investment in robotic surgery, specialist training and research partnerships, Indonesia aims to become one of the regional centres for robotic surgery technology development, making advanced healthcare more accessible, affordable and powered by home-grown innovation.
Source: ANTARA News
