Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, announced that Bali is being prepared and developed to become a major health tourism destination.
The push is to mitigate the fact that many Indonesians prefer treatment abroad to domestic. Sandiaga Uno said his team is trying to make Bali a health-based tourist destination.
On Monday November 28, 2022, Uno said in a weekly brief which was also attended by many officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy that they will prepare health tourism destinations.
So far, the “Indonesia Medical Tourism” brand has started using his logo and #SehatdanBugardiRumahSediri and #DiIndonesiaAja campaigns for medical tourism officials in Indonesia.
The Plans are Aimed to Attracting The Indonesians
Plans to develop health tourism destinations in Bali are aimed at attracting Indonesians, who usually seek treatment abroad, so that they can stay in their country and receive the best possible health care.
Based on Ministry of Health data for 2021, there was a capital outflow of around IDR 161 trillion annually from Indonesians seeking treatment abroad.
Developing health tourism is a priority of the national strategy as it solves the challenges by Indonesia, such as post-pandemic health and economic recovery.
Also read: Bali Has Obstacles To Economic Recovery in 2023
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is Working with Other Health Tourism Industries
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is also working with ministries, agencies, associations, and other health tourism industries to implement the agreed four pillars for the development of health tourism.
These include medical tourism, fitness tourism, sporting event-based health tourism, and MICE-based scientific health tourism.
In addition to strengthening collaboration, Uno explained that the ministry has made a lot of efforts to link the tourism and health sectors.
“Bali is a champion city, a hub for medical tourism and one of the destinations that has good potential to be developed according to the health tourism pillar,” Uno said.
The minister explained that in addition to strengthening the collaboration, the ministry is also making various efforts to link the tourism and health sectors.
Efforts include the formulation of the National Action Plan (RAN) for Medical Tourism and Wellness Tourism in Indonesia, support and encouragement for already existing hospitals and clinics in Bali to obtain Minister of Health orders as medical tourism institutions.
“Then we will support the program of the Ministry of State Owned Enterprises (SOE) which is currently developing a Health Exclusive Economic Zone in Sanur (Bali), and as our swift victory, we will give the local government the opportunity to coordinate, advocate and the ability to implement the necessary policies, and programs in relation to the development of health tourism in their respective regions,” he explained.
He further said that the Minister of Health has brought various breakthroughs, one of which is the Indonesian diaspora, especially Indonesian doctors and highly knowledgeable people working abroad, returning to Indonesia to contribute to the development of Indonesian health tourism.
