Indonesia to Have 30 Genome Sequencing Machines

TheIndonesia.id - The Biomedical and Genome Science Initiative (BGSi) which will be launched in mid-August 2022 is expected to support the transformation in the health care sector. The Ministry of Health states this initiative will support the presence of genome sequencing machines spread across several hospitals in Indonesia.

The health sector transformation includes the primary services, the referral services, the health resilience system, the health financing system, the human resources in the health sector, and health technology transformations. BGSi is part of the transformation of health technology.

"In the future, through this BGSi, we can see the potential for diseases that will arise," said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin during a visit to the Eijkman Building in Jakarta on Monday, August 1, 2022.

With the presence of BGSi, he said, further disease diagnosis and health monitoring could be carried out using the genome sequencing method, genetic material composed of DNA.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are currently 12 units of genome sequencing machines. The number of genome sequencing machines will further be increased to around 30 units to support the implementation of examinations at national referral hospitals such as Dharmais Cancer Hospital, National Brain Center Hospital, dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo, Infectious Disease Hospital, and Sanglah Hospital in Bali.