President Prabowo Meets Bill Gates to Strengthen Global Health Cooperation

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto met with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday to discuss expanding cooperation in global health, particularly in combating infectious diseases.

The meeting focused on strengthening strategic partnerships to address major health challenges, including the eradication of polio and the development of new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

President Prabowo praised the Gates Foundation for its long-standing support of Indonesia’s healthcare system. Since 2009, the foundation has contributed over USD 300 million in grants to various health initiatives across the country.

He specifically acknowledged the foundation’s pivotal role in supporting Bio Farma, Indonesia’s state-owned pharmaceutical company, which has become the world’s largest producer of polio vaccines. Bio Farma currently manufactures up to 2 billion doses annually, supplying vaccines to 902 million people in 42 countries.

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President Prabowo also emphasized the urgency of tackling tuberculosis in Indonesia, which claims nearly 100,000 lives each year. He expressed confidence in the Gates Foundation’s commitment to accelerating the development of TB and malaria vaccines through collaborative research and innovation.

In response, Bill Gates reaffirmed the foundation’s dedication to advancing global health and expressed his appreciation for the Indonesian government’s continued partnership. He also thanked President Prabowo for the warm reception and reiterated his optimism about future joint efforts.

The meeting underscored Indonesia’s growing role as a key partner in global health initiatives and the potential for deeper collaboration in vaccine development and disease prevention.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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