Health Minister: Health Philanthropy Must Be Transparent and Measurable for Flexibility

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin has emphasised the importance of trust, transparency, and measurable results in philanthropic cooperation for the health sector to give donors flexibility in making an impact. “For us, philanthropy is about trust. Trust cannot be obtained easily. Trust must be earned,” Budi said in Jakarta on Friday. He cited several ongoing philanthropic and development partner supports, including backing from the United Arab Emirates for hospital construction in Solo, support from a Japanese institution worth 10 billion yen for a 22-storey hospital, and Vitamin Angel’s provision of millions of tablets to help improve the nutrition of pregnant women. He also mentioned cooperation on HPV vaccination with MSD and other partners, including the use of grants to accelerate vaccine availability. Each programme, he said, has a clear calculation. He gave the example of a plan to vaccinate 50 million women in Indonesia against HPV. If relying solely on the government budget, the programme would take 20 years to complete, while around 10,000 Indonesian women die each year from HPV infection. With philanthropic funding accelerating the vaccination timeline from 20 years to 10 years, approximately 100,000 deaths could be prevented. The government, he said, opens space for donors to channel support through the government, civil society organisations, or the private sector, as long as the intended outcomes align with national health priorities. He cited efforts to reduce maternal mortality as an example, noting that implementing bodies could come from either the government or private sector. Budi requested that all funding flows be registered with the Ministry of Health so that results can be monitored. In this way, the contributions of government and non-government programmes can be measured transparently. He said this approach also provides flexibility for donors in channelling their funding. The Ministry of Health and AVPN signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strategic cooperation to accelerate and achieve sustainable development goals in Indonesia on 13 May 2026. The MoU was signed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and the CEO of AVPN. Its scope includes mobilising philanthropic resources and social investment for national priority health programmes, supporting health innovation and technology, strengthening multi-sector networks, implementing SDG pilot projects in the health sector, disseminating information on AVPN membership and services, and other cooperation in accordance with the authority of both parties. The AVPN Southeast Asia Health Impact Leadership Forum 2026 is the first regional forum of AVPN in Southeast Asia, bringing together leaders from the corporate, philanthropic, pharmaceutical, life sciences, and public policy sectors. The forum focuses on four areas: strengthening the youth mental health ecosystem, accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer, advancing maternal and child nutrition, and innovative financing for infectious disease research and development.