The Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Visits to Udayana University to Check the Placement of Whole Genome Sequencing

Denpasar – Udayana University received a visit from the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in order to review the placement location of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), Friday (25/3/2022). The Indonesian Ministry of Health will provide a WGS equipment grant to Udayana University in this case the Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with Sanglah Hospital Denpasar. This tool will be placed in the Skill Lab, Faculty of Medicine, Sudirman Campus, Denpasar. The visit of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia was received directly by the Rector of Udayana University together with the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Staff and the Director of Sanglah Hospital Denpasar. The visit began with a review of the location of the equipment placement in the Skill Lab on the 4th floor, followed by a discussion in the Meeting Room of dr. A.A Made Djelantik Faculty of Medicine Udayana University.

Rector of Udayana University Prof. Dr. Ir. I Nyoman Gde Antara, M.Eng.,IPU on that occasion reported on the existence of the Udayana University Team in collaboration with Sanglah Hospital regarding the grant of genome sequencing tools. The Rector gave his appreciation to the Ministry of Health for the grant of this tool which is expected to be useful in the service sector and have a positive impact on community services through Sanglah Hospital. For Udayana University itself, it certainly has an impact on increasing the number of publications and scientific works. So far, many researchers have to process data, especially those related to genome sequencing by sending samples abroad. The existence of this tool makes it easier and academic publications can be improved. Previously, we had received a visit from the Ministry of Health Team and we had prepared human resources to oversee this. Related tools have also been coordinated so as to support its operation. This tool will be placed in the Skill Lab Building, which in terms of location is at Udayana University but full access for colleagues at Sanglah Hospital. When this tool arrives, we will back it up with power and room layout changes. If everything is complete it will be directly installed. Genzet has also been prepared and accompanied by training for HR, and when it is ready, everything can be tested immediately, so that it can be used as widely as possible. Through this opportunity, the Rector also asked for direction from the Minister regarding the existence of the device in question and the initial focus was on medical matters first and would later be developed into molecular biology. It is hoped that in the future it will have an impact on the health of all people in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that his party expected the support of universities, in this case Udayana University, to jointly improve health status. On that occasion, the Minister of Health also briefly shared about the arrival of this device in Bali, which started with a visit to Bali that was received by the King of Ubud, where the history of tourism in Bali started from Ubud and will now start the health industry in Bali. The Minister of Health also briefly explained about genome sequencing where 18 devices have been purchased to be distributed throughout Indonesia and one of them is Bali. This tool is very sexy for a researcher and this is a new tool and a top priority for health such as treating stroke, cancer, infectious and others. There are five studies that will be encouraged, where at BRIN the results are in the form of journals, while at the Ministry of Health in the form of policies and services. The Minister of Health also said that his party would not only provide the tools but the reagents would also be financed and it was hoped that they would focus on new treatments for diseases. The research that will be carried out will focus on service products. The Ministry of Health has divided its centers and researchers to focus on their fields. The Minister of Health also wants to build a start-up ecosystem by building a biotechnology-based company, where the financing mechanism will be slightly revamped and of course this requires the support of university leaders to build a better research ecosystem so that it does not fully use the state budget. The Minister of Health hopes that with this, hopefully something can take us to a different level in the future.

During this visit, the Minister of Health also held discussions with the HR team assigned to oversee Whole Genome Sequencing, which was guided directly by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University Dr. Komang Januartha Putra Pinatih related to the technical future after the equipment arrived. It is hoped that with this tool, researchers in Indonesia are not inferior to researchers from abroad.

Whole genome sequencing is a method used to sequence the genomes of organisms, such as bacteria, viruses and humans. The genome is the genetic material composed of DNA.