Health Ministry Clarifies Alleged Mark-Up of Medical Device Prices
The Ministry of Health has stated there was no price inflation or mark-up in the procurement of medical devices for haemodialysis services at the KH Muhammad Thohir Krui Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Pesisir Barat Regency, Lampung. The allegation surfaced on social media following a statement by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who mentioned that the procurement of haemodialysis medical devices at the hospital reached Rp 30 billion for eight sets of equipment.
Head of the Communication and Public Information Bureau at the Ministry of Health, Aji Muhawarman, explained that what Budi Gunadi meant by the Rp 30 billion procurement was the total value of advanced medical device procurement for each of the 66 regional hospitals included in the government’s best quick results programme. According to Aji, each regional hospital will receive support for advanced medical devices worth more than Rp 30 billion from the Strengthening Indonesia’s Healthcare Referral Network (SIHREN) programme. The medical devices in question include a cath lab, a 64-slice CT scan, echocardiography, mammography, and others.
“RSUD Krui itself is receiving assistance of approximately Rp 31.7 billion this year for the procurement of these advanced devices. This figure is not only for haemodialysis services,” Aji said in a written statement on Saturday, 20 June 2026. In addition to advanced medical devices, Aji added, each regional hospital will also receive assistance for basic medical devices worth between Rp 20 billion and Rp 30 billion. At RSUD Krui, for example, it received assistance to purchase basic medical devices worth around Rp 25 billion for the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
Some of the devices purchased include bed patients, defibrillators, anaesthesia machines, patient monitors, ICU patient monitors, syringe pumps, ultrasound machines, and ventilators for adult, paediatric, and anaesthesia services. Additionally, there are ICU bed sets, general surgery instruments, Caesarean section instruments, mobile X-ray machines, operating lamps, operating tables, plasma sterilizers, infusion pumps, and various supporting devices for emergency and operating room services. “So in total, RSUD Krui will receive medical device support worth Rp 56.7 billion,” Aji said.
The Ministry of Health hopes that strengthening the facilities at RSUD Krui in Pesisir Barat, Lampung, can improve access to and the quality of public health services, so that the people of Pesisir Barat can obtain more comprehensive health services without having to be frequently referred outside the region. Previously, Budi’s statement regarding this procurement was made when inaugurating RSUD Krui, which was attended by President Prabowo Subianto on 10 June 2026. On that occasion, Budi initially outlined the types of medical devices provided for the regional hospital, one of which was devices for haemodialysis services.
Prabowo Subianto, who was present at the event, then asked how many haemodialysis devices were provided. “The devices might come in around eight sets, with a price of around Rp 30 billion,” Budi said in response to the Head of State’s question. A video clip of Budi’s statement later circulated on social media and drew criticism. A number of netizens considered the price of Rp 30 billion for eight sets of haemodialysis service devices to be too high. The allegation sparked suspicions of price inflation by the Ministry of Health.