The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $350 million loan to support the Indonesian Ministry of Health (MoH) in implementing a nationwide primary care transformation that will increase access to quality, gender, and climate-responsive primary care services. 

The Supporting Essential Health Actions and Transformation (SEHAT) Programme results-based loan is designed to strengthen, integrate, and standardise the life-cycle primary care delivery model in puskesmas (primary public health centre) and posyandu (integrated service posts) across Indonesia.

SEHAT will be supported by a $2 million technical assistance grant from the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific.

The SEHAT programme will improve community and household primary care services by helping equip primary care providers with ultrasound machines and instruments to monitor the presence of stunting and malnutrition.

In addition, the programme will strengthen and standardise the tier-1 public health laboratories in puskesmas, and improve the capacity of primary care and public health laboratory staff. This includes training of primary health facility and community health workers to provide reproductive health services, and early detection and treatment of gender-based violence.

The programme also promotes the integration of health information systems in primary care facilities with the MoH’s SatuSehat or the digital health platform and supports the Sustainable Development Goals attainment, particularly Goal 3 (good health and well-being), and Goal 5 (gender equality).