Enviro News Asia, Washington D.C. — The Government of Indonesia has nominated Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, as a candidate for the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the 2027–2032 term. This move brings Indonesia’s experience in navigating the COVID-19 emergency to the global stage, while offering a vision for global health that is more preventive, resilient, and inclusive. President Prabowo Subianto assigned Budi Gunadi Sadikin to enter the nomination process, as the Government considers Budi’s experience in managing the pandemic, building health resilience, mobilizing resources, and expanding international cooperation to be a valuable contribution to WHO. This vision aims to position WHO as a partner for every nation in building strong national health systems. A resilient national system will reinforce regional cooperation, ultimately creating a global health architecture that is better prepared to face pandemics, disasters, infectious diseases, and the growing burden of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Budi Gunadi Sadikin has served as Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia since December 2020, taking office when Indonesia faced immense pressure due to the pandemic. During that period, Indonesia expanded access to vaccines, diagnostic testing, laboratories, hospital capacity, oxygen supplies, and crisis response coordination from the central level down to the regions. That experience reinforced one key lesson: health systems must be prepared to function before, during, and after health emergencies.
Under his leadership, Indonesia introduced six pillars of health transformation: primary care, referral services, health system resilience, health financing, health human resources, and health technology. This initiative includes strengthening community health centers (Puskesmas) and integrated health posts (Posyandu), promoting early health screenings, upgrading hospital services for heart disease, stroke, and cancer, ensuring equitable distribution of healthcare workers, and digitizing health data through SATUSEHAT.
During the 63rd Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in Washington, D.C., held from September 28 to October 2, 2026, Budi presented the theme “Healthy Longevity for All.” His message was straightforward: the ultimate goal of health is not merely to extend human lifespans, but to ensure that people can live longer, healthier, productive, independent, and fulfilling lives.
PAHO serves as the specialized health agency for the Americas and acts as a regional office for WHO, comprising 35 member states in the Americas alongside four associate members: Aruba, Curaçao, Puerto Rico, and Sint Maarten. In its governance framework, the PAHO Executive Committee consists of nine member states elected on a rotating basis for three-year terms to deliberate on work programs, budgets, and regional health policy implementation. Furthermore, six PAHO member states serve on the 34-member WHO Executive Board. These six WHO Executive Board members representing the Americas are Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, and Suriname. In addition to meeting with delegates from all 35 PAHO member states, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin—accompanied by the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States, Indroyono Soesilo—held a dedicated breakfast meeting on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with the Latin American delegates serving on the WHO Executive Board.
Ultimately, Budi Gunadi Sadikin’s nomination carries Indonesia’s aspiration for WHO to strengthen every nation’s healthcare system, advance disease prevention, narrow disparities in vaccine and medicine access, and establish health as the bedrock of a more prosperous global community. (*)
