JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that construction on the Bali International Hospital has begun, with the goal of making the resort island a global medical tourism destination.
According to sources, Widodo said on Monday that the construction of this hospital is the first step toward the development of a 41.5-hectare health tourism complex that will include hotels, a botanical garden, and a medical training and research facility. "We hope that Bali will become a medical tourism destination," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said during the groundbreaking event, which was aired live on YouTube.
Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, earlier stated that the country wants Medan, on Sumatra Island, and Jakarta, on Java Island, to be global medical tourism destinations, but that the first step is to target domestic consumers and bring back Indonesians who are used to traveling abroad for medical treatment.
According to Widodo, the country lost USD 6.8 billion in 2019 as a result of up to 2 million Indonesians, the greatest number in Southeast Asia, seeking medical treatment abroad. Erick Thohir, Minister of State-owned Enterprises, said the new tourism destination on the resort island, which is slated to be completed in mid-2023, will also provide health facilities for international company employees working in Indonesia.
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