UNAIR NEWS – In the last few decades, the industrial sector has played an important role as a driving force and supporter of the national economy. The dynamic industrial sector is fundamental because it involves all segments directly related to the wider community, including health.
It causes the health segment market to expand into more complex domains. Moreover, digitalization requires the health industry to be more creative in improvising and innovating.
Airlangga Science Webinar Conference (AWSC) facilitates this by holding an Entrepreneurship Webinar Class on The Future of the Health Industry in Indonesia on Saturday, March 4, 2023. The webinar for academic community of Faculty of Medicine (FK) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) invited Prof. Badri Munir Sukoco SE MBA PhD, Director of UNAIR Postgraduate School, as a speaker.
According to Prof Badri, if Indonesia wants to be a developed country, it is necessary to make comparisons with other countries. The comparison must be based on relatively the same time interval and population but different achievements or outputs.
“For example, China, in 2001, its per capita income was only USD 1.053, and in 2021 it increased significantly to USD 12.556. Meanwhile, for Indonesia, in 2003, its per capita income was USD 1,065, and in 2021 it only increased to USD 4,291,” said Prof. Badri.
He quoted the words of Richard Florida that a country’s per capita income will be high if many of its human resources can offer creativity in the industry to increase the added value of the products or services. Prof Badri divides creative human resources into two: creative professionals and super-creative cores.
“Referring to the data, FK UNAIR tends to produce more creative professionals or people who offer competency services, such as doctors. For super-creative cores or creators of new creations that are able to influence many people, I think it’s a bit rare,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to data from McKinsey, for every dollar invested in the health sector in Lower middle-income countries, the return is estimated at two to four dollars. It shows that investment in the health sector increases asset productivity and strengthens Indonesia’s economic value.
Prof Badri also added, in America, the contribution of the health sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is 18.3 percent. In Indonesia, the GDP recorded in 2021 is USD 1.19 T. If using the same assumptions as America, the contribution value of the health sector in Indonesia will reach USD 217.77 B or the equivalent of IDR 3,266.6 T.
“There is still a lot of room for growth for the health industry in Indonesia,” he explained.
Furthermore, the Professor of Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) UNAIR gave several views regarding factors that must be addressed in optimizing the health industry in Indonesia. The capability to innovate and a world-class university is the main key. At the same time, the academic community must start working on economic transformation from agriculture to the industry with a clear roadmap and budget commitment.
“Facilities for holding special projects are needed so that FK UNAIR academic community understands entrepreneurs more as practitioners and, in the future, produce more super-creative cores,” he added. (*)
Author: Yahya Ayash Mujahid
Editor: Binti Q. Masruroh
