The health world deplores the inertia of the Indonesian government

In Indonesia, several health organizations have called on the Ministry of Health to take the necessary legal steps to accelerate the tobacco regulatory process. The government is particularly criticized for its lack of political will. [1].

According to health organizations, the government's regulatory review of addictive ingredients in tobacco products, which began in May 2018, should have been completed within a year. However, eight inter-ministerial meetings appear to have significantly slowed the drafting of the review. The latter is part of a National Medium-Term Development Plan (2020-2024), which aims for ambitious regulatory objectives, such as a complete ban on tobacco advertising, the expansion of health warnings on packages, and the strengthening of cessation support services.

"It is urgent that the government does its homework[2] »

Health organizations deplore a lack of awareness of health issues in Indonesia, which is all the more problematic as the COVID-19 crisis multiplies the risks for smokers. Feni Fitriani Taufik of the Indonesian Society of Pulmonology calls on the Indonesian government to intensify its efforts in tobacco control, noting that several countries have taken proactive measures, such as banning the sale or importation of tobacco during the pandemic.

A predatory industry

Indonesia, characterized as a a true paradise for cigarette manufacturers, is one of the last countries in the world not to have ratified the WHO international treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The degree of tobacco industry interference largely explains the country's lag in public health. Indeed, the Tobacco Industry Interference Index ranks Indonesia among the five countries in the world where tobacco company interference is the strongest. The preponderance of the latter in public life comes at a high price: in Indonesia, 225,000 people die each year from smoking.

[1] Government slammed for slow progress in tobacco control, Jakarta Post, September 2, 2020, (accessed 02/09/2020)

[2] Statement by Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto of the FCTC

Keywords: Indonesia, health

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