In the era of National Health Insurance, drug governance must implement quality control and cost control, therefore the Government compiled and established the National Formulary (FORNAS) as quality control and e-catalogue as price control. Implementatively, FORNAS is an integral part of drug governance.

The National Formulary is a dynamic living document that can always be updated, when there is new evidence, both in terms of indications-contraindications and side effects. In this regard, the Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices through the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Management and Services organized the 2021 Fornas Review Initial Meeting which was conducted in a hybrid manner.

The meeting, which was held on July 4, 2022, was officially opened by the Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and invited the FORNAS team in the National Drug Selection Committee, which involved professional organizations of doctors and specialists, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, BKKBN, BPJS Health and other related units.

In his remarks, the Minister of Health hoped that this activity would provide the best results for all Indonesian people and strive to improve the accuracy of drug use, namely drugs that are safe, efficacious, affordable and based on the latest scientific evidence, primarily to achieve the highest degree of public health.

In her report, the Director of Pharmaceutical Management and Services, Dina Sintia Pamela, said that this meeting was the first in a series of meetings aimed at reviewing proposals that had been received through the e-fornas website totaling 76 items in 91 dosage forms/strengths.

In her remarks, the Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, L. Rizka Andalucia said that the challenges faced in carrying out the role and duties of pharmacy in the implementation of the JKN program, especially to maintain accessibility and affordability as well as the rational use of drugs in comprehensive health services can be achieved and implemented properly.

In this case, FORNAS not only plays a role in the selection process of drugs used in JKN, but also becomes a reference in terms of procurement through e-purchasing/e-catalog. In FORNAS, quality and cost effective drugs have been selected, and their use has also been regulated for each health facility to avoid irrational use of drugs. “Of course we hope that all stakeholders involved in the preparation of FORNAS in the context of quality control and cost control in the implementation of JKN can work together so as to produce outputs that can be used by all Health Facilities in the delivery of health services,” said Rizka.