Traditional Jamu Poised for Inclusion in BPJS Health Scheme as BPOM Confirms
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Traditional jamu and natural medicine products have the potential for greater integration into the national healthcare system. The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has revealed that the government is preparing regulations to allow certain natural medicines to be covered under the BPJS Health insurance scheme.
This move is seen as a breath of fresh air for the domestic jamu industry, which has long struggled to develop products to the level of fitofarmaka – herbal medicines backed by scientific evidence and clinical trials.
Mohamad Kashuri, Deputy Head of BPOM’s Traditional Medicine, Health Supplement and Cosmetics Supervision, stated that the government now has a solid legal foundation to promote the use of natural medicines in healthcare services.
“In the past, when people were seriously ill in hospital, they all drank jamu. Now, that is no longer the case because we have Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health, along with Government Regulation No. 28 of 2024 as its implementing regulation,” Kashuri said at a Health Forum titled “From Cultural Heritage to Sustainable Jamu Industry” on Tuesday (26 May 2026).
However, he acknowledged that the number of fitofarmaka products in Indonesia remains very limited. One reason is the high research costs and lengthy development process required to obtain sufficient scientific evidence.
According to Kashuri, many businesses are hesitant to invest heavily in developing jamu into fitofarmaka due to the lack of market certainty once the product is developed.
“Fitofarmaka products in Indonesia are very few because they require enormous budgets, long timescales, and extensive research. This is why businesses are reluctant to invest, as the market potential remains unclear,” he said.
Therefore, BPOM is urging natural medicine products that meet scientific standards to gain wider access to national healthcare services. Kashuri said his agency has initiated discussions with the Ministry of Health to include fitofarmaka in the BPJS Health financing scheme.
“A presidential regulation is currently being processed that will allow natural medicines to be covered by BPJS,” Kashuri said.
He stressed that the policy does not mean all jamu products will automatically be covered by BPJS. Only those with sufficient scientific evidence and meeting standards are eligible for inclusion in the national healthcare financing system.
Kashuri hopes the policy will foster a healthier business environment, as manufacturers will have clear market prospects for products that have undergone lengthy research. Additionally, BPOM is pushing to improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge on using natural medicines. He noted that many medical professionals are still more familiar with synthetic drugs than scientifically-backed herbal products.
“We are urging medical colleges and professional associations to enhance literacy, as not only synthetic drugs can be used in treatment, but also natural medicines supported by strong scientific data,” Kashuri said.
He also hopes collaboration between government, industry, academia, and healthcare professionals will accelerate the use of natural medicines in Indonesia. With all parties working together, he stressed, the adoption of natural medicines can progress swiftly and become a homegrown success.
“Of course, developing jamu cannot be done by the government alone or by industry players alone. It requires an ecosystem collaboration from upstream to downstream, including various ministries. So it’s not just BPOM handling jamu, but other ministries like the Ministry of Agriculture, for example, in preparing standardised raw materials, which is also crucial,” he said.