"We will (develop) traditional Balinese medicine with Balinese herbal plants (according to) traditional manuscripts with BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency) and Balinese health figures," Thohir noted here, Monday.
The minister expressed his keenness to develop projects in Bali while considering the traditional culture and spiritual aspects, and following consultations with local figures, he decided to develop an eco-medical botanical park at Sanur SEZ.
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During the visit to the Sanur SEZ development site with former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and House of Representatives (DPR RI) Speaker Puan Maharani, Thohir said that the botanical park is expected to be completed by August this year.
The ministry will refer to the development of traditional medicine in China and India to develop Indonesia's traditional medicine, he stated.
"Growth in our healthcare aspect must have local medicine as a foundation because 90 percent of our drugs use imported materials. Who knows we could suppress the medicine material import to 20 percent," Thohir underscored.
The development of an international hospital in Sanur SEZ is expected to attract new investments to help Bali develop existing potentials rather than open new sites, he remarked.
The minister noted that a total of Rp97.5 trillion was spent by two million Indonesians seeking medical treatment overseas.
"We are discussing what we can do to increase our competence, as compared to other countries, such as Thailand, without opening a new site, and that is how we made our breakthrough here in this 41.26-hectare plot of land," Thohir remarked.
