Equal Access to Precision Health

The health revolution first began when James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins discovered DNA in 1953. This blueprint of genetic information is what gave way to a personalized approach to medicine.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecular structure of nucleic acids that make up genetic material and determines the characteristics of every living thing. Knowledge of DNA opens up a path to understanding disease, its prevention as well as treatment.

In the human body, there are 3 billion nucleotides that make up 100,000 genes. These gene variants determine, among other things, height, eye color, skin, fingerprints, blood type and susceptibility to disease. This is what was later mapped in the Human Genome Project, which was fully sequenced in 2022.

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Three years earlier, in 2019, a collaboration between researchers, including those from the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, managed to map the genomes of 1,739 individuals from 64 countries in Asia. This study resulted in the most comprehensive genetic map of the Asian population, including origin, history of mixing, diversification and disease susceptibility (Kompas, 7/12/2019).

All of that forms the basis of precision health and medicine. These approaches rely on one’s DNA patterns, their susceptibility to disease and their response to treatment. In this way, each individual’s condition can be specified, diseases can be prevented and treatments can be formulated.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Yarsi University Medical Faculty staff, Cempaka Putih, Jakarta examines patient genetic samples in the laboratory, Friday (13/1/2023). In precision medicine, it is possible for a person to get more sensitive health screening, precise diagnosis, and effective therapy.

Precision health services in Indonesia are currently under development under the Biomedical & Genome Science Initiative (BGSi). The Health Ministry’s official website states that the BGSi will concentrate on four non-infectious diseases that cause death and have the highest treatment costs in Indonesia, namely cancer, stroke as well as heart and kidney diseases.

Furthermore, it is also necessary to consider infectious diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and tuberculosis.

However, it is not easy for the BGSi to grow in Indonesia. The headline of Kompas daily on Tuesday (17/1/2023), highlighted the unpreparedness of precision health infrastructure. From testing accuracy to information technology laboratories and the limitations of human resources. To overcome these obstacles, coordination is key.

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The government must partner with private hospitals that have already implemented this approach to accelerate its initiation. On the other hand, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) must be able to implement it in supporting research, especially now the Eijkman Institute – the backbone of precision health in Indonesia – has now merged with BRIN.

Making sure there is equal access to precision health services is no less important either. We know this approach to treatment is still very expensive. The government must be able to use precision health services to address public health issues as a whole, so that even the poorest citizens are not prone to sickness and die in vain.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.