Jakarta – The government continues to make efforts to expand access to healthcare services for all segments of society. One tangible initiative currently being implemented is the Village Pharmacy program, which represents a real effort to bring healthcare services closer to the people.
Chairman of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Pharmacists Association (PP IAI), Apt. Noffendri Roestam, S.Si, expressed full support for the Village Pharmacy program, highlighting its reach across even the most remote regions of the country.
“Presidential Instruction No. 9 of 2025 emphasizes that the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives will implement strategic programs, one of which is the establishment of Village/Urban Pharmacies in 80,000 locations across Indonesia,” Noffendri stated.
He expressed hope that the program would run optimally and serve as concrete evidence of the government’s success in delivering equitable healthcare services.
“IAI is placing serious focus on ensuring that Village/Urban Pharmacies operate effectively. We believe that the government’s commitment will produce tangible benefits for the community,” Noffendri added.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin reiterated that the Village Pharmacy is an integral part of the government’s priority programs aimed at strengthening healthcare services in rural areas. In addition, these pharmacies can also serve commercial functions through cooperatives, offering services beyond those provided by government programs.
Budi noted that Indonesia already has the necessary basic infrastructure in place. The next steps involve strengthening human resources, service delivery, and supportive regulations.
“The basic requirements are minimal — at least one healthcare worker such as a paramedic or nurse, supplemented by pharmaceutical personnel to ensure medicine availability, and expanded service types,” he explained.
The Health Ministry is also pursuing interministerial collaborations, including drafting regulations with the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs, which would allow Village-owned Business Units (UPKD/K) to be formalized as Merah Putih Cooperatives.
He further added that future regulations will aim to integrate auxiliary community health centers (puskesmas pembantu) and village health posts into the Merah Putih Village Cooperative scheme.
“The human resources, assets, and funding are already in place. The next step is simply to formulate regulations that will integrate everything into a unified system,” he said.
Through the government’s strong commitment to establishing Village Pharmacies, equal access to healthcare is no longer a dream, but a reality reaching every corner of the nation.