Opinion: Military’s Move into Pharma – Solution or Sovereignty Shortcut?

Tangerang, narasinasi- Indonesia faces a real crisis in healthcare: medicines are notoriously expensive, supply chains fragmented, and rural access remains poor. According to government officials, military-managed labs are set to produce affordable drugs and distribute them directly to village cooperatives at up to 50% below retail price, with the promise of eventual free access to alleviate healthcare burdens. Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and BPOM head Taruna Ikrar highlight this initiative’s potential to curb pharmaceutical “mafia” operations and fill significant market gaps. Mass production is planned to start in October 2025.

But urgency does not justify institutional overreach. Civil society experts and epidemiologists like Dicky Budiman (Griffith University) warn that involving the military in civilian pharmaceutical production lacks both necessity and legitimacy, and may compromise quality assurance and public trust in health governance. 

The defense sector—traditionally tasked with national sovereignty—should only engage in public healthcare during emergencies or humanitarian crises, not as a permanent solution. Without transparent legal frameworks and clear civilian oversight, this project risks repeating the dangers of Indonesia’s authoritarian past and the notorious dual-function era. 

Moreover, Indonesia already has infrastructures capable of handling drug production: BPOM, Kimia Farma, Indofarma, university laboratories, and a vibrant private pharmaceutical sector all exist yet struggle due to import dependency, regulation inefficiencies, and under-investment in local API fabrication. The real challenge lies in transforming these institutions—not bypassing them with military-led alternatives. 

Instead of expanding TNI’s mandate into healthcare, the government should:

• Strengthen civilian pharmaceutical institutions with capital and R&D incentives,

• Reform policies that govern drug pricing and streamline distribution channels,

• Promote competition that drives innovation, not military monopolies,

• Ensure BPOM and health authorities retain full regulatory control.

In short, public health must not become collateral in a battle for power. While the goal of lowering medicine costs is laudable, sustainable, democratic, and civilian-led reform—not military expansion—is the truest path to pharmaceutical sovereignty.

source: ANTARA News, Tempo, The Jakarta Post.