Ministry of Health and YSDS Collaborate to Develop BGSI for Affordable Treatment

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) is collaborating with the Satriabudi Dharma Setia Foundation (YSDS) to develop the Biomedical Genome Science Initiative (BGSI) for more affordable treatment. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin views this partnership as an important step in strengthening technology-based healthcare services in Indonesia. “This collaboration is a crucial momentum to accelerate the utilisation of genomic technology in healthcare services. With more affordable technology, the public can obtain more accurate diagnoses and more precise treatments,” he stated in Jakarta on Monday. This collaboration serves as a strategic step to expand access to genomic technology utilisation, targeting up to one million genomes in Southeast Asia. The Health Minister hopes that the target of reading the DNA of Indonesian people through BGSI technology for 200,000 Indonesians can help develop genomic references, precision medicine, reduce drug side effects, predict and prevent diseases, as well as track the history and endemic diseases. This partnership is driven by a shared vision to open access to genomic testing and research to assist clinical diagnostics, which are currently still limited, especially in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. So far, high costs have been the main challenge in developing genomic research and services. Through this cooperation, the latest UG200 technology is being developed, which is expected to significantly reduce costs and enable large-scale use. In addition, the collaboration also encompasses cross-sector research, from health to agriculture and biodiversity, as well as the preparation of protocols in accordance with health regulations and data protection in the region. Chairman of YSDS, Vincentius Simeon Weo Budhyanto, stated that this collaboration is an important step so that Indonesia does not lag behind in global genomic developments. “This collaboration ensures that the Southeast Asian population is represented in the global genomic database, while also opening up more equitable access to precision medicine,” said Vincentius. He emphasised that the management of genomic data will be carried out with high security standards and in accordance with Indonesian regulations. The data will be stored domestically, anonymised, and protected with encryption to ensure privacy and prevent misuse. In the long term, this cooperation is also expected to build a genetic data base (biobank) of the Indonesian population. This is important so that future research and drug development are more suited to the genetic characteristics of the local population.