The Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices of the Indonesian Ministry of Health, through the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution, held a Socialization of Consolidated Storefronts in the Ministry of Health Sectoral Electronic Catalog in Jakarta, on Friday 19 July 2024.

This socialization is an important step in introducing the new mechanism in drug procurement. The drug consolidation storefront was created as one of the efforts to follow up on the impact of the change in the mechanism for listing products on the electronic catalog so as to increase the availability and affordability of drugs.

In addition to socializing the Consolidated Storefront on the Ministry of Health's Sectoral Electronic Catalog, this activity is also an important moment to coordinate in order to strengthen strategies to meet drug needs in the implementation of National Health Insurance services.

During this meeting, the Ministry of Health also launched the use of consolidated storefronts for individual claim drugs in sectoral electronic catalogs. With strong collaboration between various parties, it is expected that drug needs can be better met, supporting the government's efforts to improve the quality of health services for all Indonesians.

Also attending this event were representatives from various institutions that have an important role in the health sector, including vertical hospitals, regional public hospitals (RSUD), and health service facilities that collaborate with BPJS, as well as representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical associations and work units within the Ministry of Health.

In the first half of 2024, the Ministry of Health carried out a consolidation process for single-claim drugs, which included drugs for the reverse referral program (PRB), drugs for chronic diseases, and chemotherapy drugs. In the drug consolidation storefront, separate claim drugs are displayed with multiple providers, the price offered is the same and is fixed (fixed price). So that health facilities no longer need to negotiate or mini-competition when doing e-Purchasing. This more efficient process is expected to accelerate drug procurement, so that health services to the community can be carried out more quickly and effectively.

Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Distribution Dita Novianti Sugandi in her speech said that one of the impacts of the change in the mechanism for listing drugs in the electronic catalog is that the pharmaceutical industry that meets the criteria can directly list its drugs in the electronic catalog without any reference requirements for the highest limit price of drugs. “This causes the drugs listed in the catalog to have various prices,” said Dita.

She further emphasized that strengthening the strategy to fulfill drug needs can be achieved through evaluating the drugs that will be displayed in the consolidated storefront. In addition, Dita also emphasized the importance of guarding the commitment of the pharmaceutical industry to the drugs that have been agreed upon in the consolidation process carried out by the Bureau of Goods and Services Procurement. “We hope that today's socialization will not only introduce the new policy, but also become a momentum to build a common understanding and increase collaboration between the various parties involved so that we can ensure that the drugs needed by the community are available in a timely manner, in sufficient quantities, and with guaranteed quality.” concluded Dita.