Tommy Daindes Highlights Cardiovascular Care as a Strategic Priority in Indonesia's Healthcare Development

As global economic integration accelerates, Chinese enterprises are increasingly seeking to expand into overseas markets. Indonesia, as a major economy in Southeast Asia, has become one of the key destinations for Chinese companies going global, thanks to its large market capacity, robust consumer demand, and strategic geographic location.

Currently, the demand for Chinese enterprises to expand into Indonesia is growing increasingly robust. On one hand, Chinese companies aim to further enhance their brand influence and international competitiveness by tapping into the Indonesian market. On the other hand, as a growth engine in Southeast Asia, Indonesia offers immense potential for cooperation across multiple sectors—including infrastructure development, manufacturing, and energy—thereby providing broad investment opportunities for Chinese businesses.

In this context, recently, at the Top 100 Summit of the VBEF Future Healthcare Ecosystem Expo hosted by VCBeat,Mr. Tommy Daindes, a cardiologist and electrophysiologist at M. Djamil General Hospital in Indonesia, shared insights on the current status, challenges, and opportunities of cardiovascular disease treatment in Indonesia under the theme “Current Situation of Cardiovascular Care In Indonesia.”

In 2024, the Indonesian Ministry of Health designated cardiovascular diseases as a key component of its national healthcare strategic development. However, the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Indonesia faces significant challenges. Dr. Tommy noted that numerous factors, including geographical constraints and limited medical resources, have hindered the progress of Indonesia’s healthcare system in addressing cardiovascular diseases.

Geographic location is one of the barriers. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, with over half of its area consisting of water bodies. This has led to an uneven distribution of medical resources, which are particularly scarce in remote areas. As a middle-income country, Indonesia has a moderate per capita GDP; however, the significant wealth gap poses certain challenges to its healthcare system.

Geographic factors further exacerbate the unequal distribution of medical resources. First, although Indonesia has a population of nearly 300 million, the number of cardiologists is limited to approximately 1,500, with the majority concentrated on the island of Java. Data shows that two-thirds of cardiologists remain in Java, while the annual influx of new specialists consists of only 50 recent graduates. Therefore, Indonesia requires modernization and iteration of its healthcare system and still needs an additional 1,000 cardiologists to fill the gap.

Secondly, the Indonesian government provides the National Health Insurance (BPJS) program, which covers more than 95% of the population. The National Health Insurance is divided into three categories, with Class III being the lowest tier. Over 70% of Indonesians are enrolled in this lowest tier, namely Class III insurance. However, a current issue is that reimbursement amounts are insufficient for certain medical procedures, particularly for cardiology-related equipment and consumables. There are also restrictions in hospitals authorized to perform cardiac catheterization laboratory procedures or invasive cardiology surgeries. This means that not all hospitals can provide these advanced medical services, indicating limited hospital service capacity.

Currently, Indonesia has more than 3,000 hospitals, which are classified into four categories: A, B, C, and D. Category A hospitals provide the highest level of medical services, while Category D hospitals offer the lowest. Approximately one-third of these hospitals are government-run public institutions. Lower-category hospitals face limitations in performing certain procedures and surgeries. For instance, three cardiology procedures—angiography, coronary intervention, and arrhythmia ablation—are permitted only in Category A, B, and C hospitals. Implantation of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) is restricted to Category A and B hospitals.

Hospital restrictions on surgical procedures have also led to limited resources for arrhythmia surgeries. Currently, only about 10% of hospitals in Indonesia are equipped with catheterization laboratories (cath labs). The good news is that the Indonesian Ministry of Health recently announced a plan to build more than 500 new cath labs nationwide. According to Dr. Tommy, there are only 60 specialists in arrhythmia treatment across Indonesia, with 50 of them located on the island of Java; only 12 centers possess 3D mapping systems, of which merely three are situated outside Java; and only four centers are equipped with cryoablation devices. Furthermore, the number of implanted pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) remains very low.

Based on previous detailed analysis, Indonesia faces various challenges in the field of cardiovascular disease treatment: medical resources are heavily concentrated in Java, resulting in uneven distribution; government insurance reimbursement is inadequate, and private insurance penetration is low; budgetary allocations to the healthcare sector are limited, accounting for only 5.6% of the national government budget; there is a shortage of cardiologists and cardiac catheterization laboratories; and restrictions exist on performing certain procedures in lower-tier hospitals.

From Dr. Tommy’s perspective, despite the various challenges in Indonesia, bright opportunities remain, including the ability to offer competitive pricing and quality, as well as a sustainable after-sales support system.

China’s collaboration with Indonesia will significantly bolster the development of Indonesia’s healthcare system. Due to geographical challenges, regions outside Java often face delays in receiving technical support personnel and specialists, which can hinder the timely performance of surgical procedures. Therefore, it is crucial to equip facilities with professional-grade consumables, and an open-system architecture that integrates seamlessly with existing platforms or those from other brands is highly preferable. For private hospitals, given budgetary constraints, leasing expensive equipment or adopting joint operation models may offer more viable solutions.

The primary challenge facing government hospitals is the procurement of consumables, rather than the medical equipment itself. Currently, Indonesia is introducing new technologies, but there remains a need for continuous innovation and further technology adoption.

Indonesia has significant room for growth in talent such as cardiologists, requiring further development and investment. Tommy Daindes advocates for collaboration between cardiologists and other specialists, such as urologists and hepatologists. Furthermore, integrated systems that provide advanced adjunctive coronary assessment, as well as those integrating arrhythmia management and 3D mapping systems, can better meet market demands. For affordable local manufacturers and foreign brands, including those from China, Indonesia holds immense market potential for cardiac implantable devices.