M. Adhyatma (25 May 1932 – 2 December 1999) was an Indonesian

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

official who served as the country's minister of health between 1988 and 1993.

Early life and education

Adhyatma received a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary profes ...

degree from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, School of Public Health in 1974.

Health Minister

As minister, he prioritized addressing the high cost of drugs and mandated the use of

generic drug A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...

s at government-operated healthcare facilities. His policies reduced drug costs by 10–15 percent and were met with resistance by the

pharmaceutical industry The pharmaceutical industry is a medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or self-administered by) patients for curing ...

. He was praised for Indonesia's handling of the

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

epidemic because the health ministry regularly published case counts, whereas other Asian countries often hid those figures.

References

{{Authority control Health ministers of Indonesia UC Berkeley School of Public Health alumni University of Indonesia alumni