Health Minister Reveals Medicine Prices Will Rise Due to US Dollar and Oil Prices

The Ministry of Health has stated there is a possibility of medicine price increases due to fluctuations in the rupiah exchange rate against the United States dollar and rising oil prices. However, the ministry claims the increase will remain within reasonable limits and will not spike sharply. “Medicine prices for the National Health Insurance (JKN) programme are confirmed not to increase and will be maintained,” said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a statement on Sunday. The Ministry of Health acknowledged it has made efforts to ensure medicines used by BPJS Kesehatan do not experience price rises. “We have looked at medicine prices, which increases are reasonable and which are unreasonable. But for BPJS medicines, we have managed to keep them stable,” Budi said. Budi explained that the rise in the dollar exchange rate does not automatically cause medicine prices to increase by the same percentage. This is because the majority of domestic medicine production cost components still use the rupiah. Therefore, the government has calculated a limit on what constitutes a reasonable price increase. According to Budi, an increase in the range of 10 to 20 per cent is considered reasonable, while anything above that is deemed an attempt to profiteer. “Ten to 20 per cent is still reasonable. But if it is above that, do not take advantage of the situation,” Budi stated. Meanwhile, Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at the Ministry of Health, Rizka Andalusia, has coordinated with the pharmaceutical industry regarding these price calculations. Rizka confirmed that the highest price adjustment is capped at 20 per cent. “A maximum of 20 per cent. It depends on the type of medicine, some may only increase by 5 per cent or 10 per cent. But it must not exceed 20 per cent,” Rizka said. Amid the adjustment of commercial or non-BPJS medicine prices, the government guarantees that medicine prices included in the National Health Insurance scheme will not be affected.