The concept of healthcare has developed enormously in recent history, from its acknowledgement as one of life’s basic necessities to the point where healthcare ultimately started to morph into a new and attractive industrial sector towards the start of the 20^th century. Over the course of the intervening years, the healthcare industry has flourished while being supported by endless developments within the realms of disease discovery, the expansion of medical disciplines, the vast improvements which have been made in terms of medical technologies, as well as the gradually increasing penetration of health insurance.
 
In Indonesia, the recently introduced national healthcare program, when combined with the country’s huge population, means that there exists a vast potential here for healthcare businesses to tap into. Indeed, the Asia Pacific arm of Frost & Sullivan believe that consumption levels across Indonesia as regards health services will reach approximately USD 60.6 billion in 2018.[1] In order to boost the development of the healthcare industry here, the government has issued a number of regulations in recent years, including Presidential Instruction No. 6 of 2016 on the Acceleration of the Development of the Pharmaceutical and Medical-Equipment Industries, which envisages greater competition emerging within these sectors. All in all, the various healthcare industries and their obviously huge potential will undoubtedly reward close attention in the future.
 
In the context of the massive development potential of this sector of the economy, this edition of Indonesian Law Digest (ILD) will elaborate upon the basic requirements which have to be met and the licenses which are required in order to operate within the Indonesian health sector. Our discussions will address the following areas: