Coinciding with the National Health Day, Filantropi Indonesia in collaboration with PKMK FK-KMK of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and Tahija Foundation launched the Philanthropy for Health Cluster. This cluster was initiated to improve the quality of health programs that are supported, funded and managed by philanthropic institutions in Indonesia. We also expect to help overcome various health impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through philanthropy’s resources and support.

The launch of Philanthropy for Health Cluster was held during the virtual workshop titled “Exploring the Potential of Philanthropy for Healthy Indonesia” in Jakarta, Thursday afternoon (10/12). The event invited dr. Nafsiah Mboi, Sp.A. MPH, former minister of health, as the main speaker and attended by many Indonesian philanthropic activists, especially those engaged in health issues. At this event, Filantropi Indonesia also confirmed and introduced PKMK FK-KMK UGM and Tahija Foundation as coordinators of the Philanthropy for Health Cluster.

Hamid Abidin, Director of Filantropi Indonesia, stated that the formation of the Philanthropy for Health cluster is important because health is one of the issues that is widely supported by the community, philanthropic organizations and the private sector. On the other hand, health is still a major problem in Indonesia which needs a lot of support. This health problem becomes more complex when the COVID-19 pandemic hits Indonesia and is designated as a health disaster. Amid the economic crisis and restrictions on interaction and mobility due to PSBB policies, philanthropy is required to assist the government in supporting the response to COVID-19 and its social impacts.

“The Philanthropy for Health Cluster is expected to become a joint forum for philanthropy actors to contribute to a healthy Indonesia through research activities, sharing information, capacity building, conducting policy advocacy, and collaborations with other sectors.”

Prof. dr. Laksono Trisnantoro, M.Sc., Ph.D., Chairperson of PKMK FKKMK UGM (Center for Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing UGM) added that health philanthropy is needed because the health sector in Indonesia is in a difficult economic situation, in the context of the government’s ability to finance the health sector. The rapid growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is not in line with the increase in Tax-Ratio. Even though Indonesia’s GDP is already above IDR 14 thousand trillion, or above USD 1 trillion, the Tax-Ratio is still in the range of 10-11%. This in turn creates problems with the government’s ability to fund development programs, including public health services. In the JKN (National Health Insurance) era, the policy was unable to increase the percentage of GDP for health. During the last 10 years there has been a decrease in the share of GDP for health, from the range of 3.5% to 3.2-3.3%.

Demands and needs for resource support for the Health sector are increasing when the COVID-19 outbreak hits Indonesia. Even though the government has issued disaster funds from the APBN (federal budget) and APBD (state budget) to fund the COVID-19 prevention and treatment program, this intervention will certainly not be sufficient due to its rigid and slow nature, making it difficult to respond to differences in field conditions. “With the spirit of mutual cooperation and increased solidarity in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, philanthropy has a big role in complementing the presence of government programs because of its flexibility and quick nature of action,” said Prof. Laksono.

Meanwhile, Trihadi Saptoadi, Executive Director of Tahija Foundation, believes that the formation of the Cluster under Filantropi Indonesia will increase collaboration and philanthropic contributions for health programs in Indonesia. “In this forum, we can raise public resources and funds, especially philanthropists, to make changes for the better, and offer innovative solutions in the health sector, especially a real contribution to the goals, targets and indicators of the SDGs related to the health sector,” he said.

Meanwhile, the former Minister of Health, dr. Nafsiah Mboi, gave suggestions on several focus issues and work on the Philanthropy for Health Cluster. According to dr. Nafsiah, the role and contribution of philanthropy will be optimal if it can be directed to help overcome imbalances in health conditions and quality between regions, especially maternal and child health, tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria / DHF. Philanthropy also needs to support the gap between life expectancy (HH) and healthy life expectancy (HHH) which will result in unhealthy elderly people.

She then added that philanthropy would also have an effective role if it gives direct support to the community in promoting healthy living and early [disease] detection. “If we can educate the public to be responsible for their own health as an invaluable asset, then that could be the most effective approach in achieving a healthy Indonesia. These efforts can be done by optimizing and establishing the Posyandu (healthcare centers) and the Healthy Living Community Movement,” he said. Philanthropy can also support capacity building of primary health care human resources, assisting in conducting studies and research. More importantly, philanthropy also needs to help with the COVID-19 response because this pandemic affects all aspects of people’s lives in Indonesia. “When talking about the public health movement, we cannot depend on funding for these programs from the government, but we need to mobilize community initiative and support through philanthropy.”

About Filantropi Indonesia (FI):

Filantropi Indonesia is an independent association of philanthropic activists and organizations whose aim is to advance philanthropy so as to contribute to the achievement of social justice and sustainable development in Indonesia. Filantropi Indonesia’s activities are focused on: research and education, capacity building of philanthropic organizations, facilitation of partnerships between philanthropic organizations and other sectors and policy advocacy. For a more complete information visit www.filantropi.or.id

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