Indonesia and Australia launch health transformation partnership programme

The Indonesian and Australian governments have launched the Indonesia-Australia Partnership for Health Transformation (KITA SEHAT), a long-term collaborative programme to support the transformation of human and animal health in Indonesia. KITA SEHAT aims to support the realisation of ‘Health for All’ as an integral part of efforts to improve the quality of human resources. To achieve this goal, the programme focuses on four end results: strengthening policy and governance of primary healthcare services, primary healthcare services, supporting components of the health system, and health resilience. ‘This programme is a joint investment to build Indonesia’s health system to be stronger, more resilient, and better prepared to face future challenges. In the 2025-2045 National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN), health development is positioned as one of the main foundations of Indonesia’s transformation,’ said Deputy Minister for National Development Planning/Deputy Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Febrian Alphyanto Ruddyard at the launch event in Jakarta on Tuesday. The programme, funded with up to A$100 million, will be implemented in two phases over the 2025-2033 period through collaboration between the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture as implementing ministries, in coordination with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). KITA SEHAT also cooperates with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as development partners. The programme will be implemented at the central level and in three provinces: West Java, East Nusa Tenggara, and Southwest Papua. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stressed the government’s role in ensuring public access to health. ‘The government must keep the people healthy. The second focus is treating those who are sick. The main focus must be on primary services, then referral services. I would like to thank the Australian Government for assisting the Indonesian Government. I also want to request the Australian Government’s support so that immunisation coverage can increase to above 90 percent,’ said the Health Minister. In line with this commitment, the Australian Government also emphasised its support for the transformation of Indonesia’s health system through the KITA SEHAT partnership. ‘KITA SEHAT reflects the strong, long-standing health partnership between Australia and Indonesia, and our shared commitment to achieving health for all. Australia is working with Indonesia to strengthen primary healthcare services, improve community nutrition, and build a more resilient health security system,’ said Australian Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Gita Kamath. Through collaboration between central government, regional governments, and development partners, the programme is expected to generate lessons, innovations, and best practices that can be replicated to accelerate the realisation of ‘Health for All’. ‘The KITA SEHAT programme is not merely a cooperation project. It is a joint investment to build Indonesia’s health system to be more resilient in facing current and future challenges. The success of the programme is not measured by its duration, but by how strong the health system and national capacity are successfully built,’ said Deputy Minister Febrian.