Siloam Supports Government’s Efforts to Reduce Cancer Risk in Indonesia
JAKARTA, February 26, 2023 — President Commissioner of PT Siloam International Hospitals Tbk (SILO), John Riady, emphasized SILO’s concrete actions to support the government’s efforts in reducing the risk of cancer in Indonesia. Cancer, as a catastrophic disease, is the second leading cause of death globally, with approximately 9.6 million deaths annually.
According to Global Cancer Statistics (Globocan), in Indonesia in 2020, there were 396,314 new cancer cases, with 234,511 cancer-related deaths. Women are identified as a high-risk group, with 65,858 breast cancer cases and 36,633 cervical cancer cases. Among men, lung cancer topped the list with 25,943 cases, followed by colorectal cancer with 21,764 cases.
"Cancer is a serious catastrophic disease that requires joint efforts from both the government and the private sector. Cancer care ranks second in BPJS Health’s expenditure, following heart disease, with a total cost of IDR 3.5 trillion," said John in a written statement received in Jakarta, Sunday (February 26, 2023).
John noted that SILO, through the operation of Mochtar Riady Comprehensive Cancer Center (MRCCC) since 2011, serves as a Center of Excellence (CoE) for cancer care in Indonesia. In addition to having advanced treatment facilities, MRCCC also provides specialist doctors, dedicated cancer care infrastructure, and comprehensive, personalized services for patients.
"We are aware of the significant role and responsibility that private hospitals must bear in serving the public. I assure you that MRCCC is at the forefront of supporting the healthcare transformation led by the Ministry of Health, particularly in narrowing the gap in cancer management across regions," John added.
He stated that MRCCC, as the only accredited private cancer center and a national tertiary referral center, plays a crucial role in providing centralized services for early detection, oncology surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
MRCCC is equipped with a wide range of supporting facilities and diagnostic tools, including ultrasound (USG), mammography, MRI, PET-CT scan, a molecular diagnostic lab, and an immunohistochemistry pathology lab—all essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
As of the end of 2022, MRCCC had served over 91,000 cancer patients, conducted more than 34,000 radiotherapy sessions, over 10,000 chemotherapy treatments, more than 4,600 PET-CT scan procedures, and performed over 2,900 surgical operations.
Previously, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that cancer is one of the top eight diseases with the highest BPJS Health expenditures. The government, he added, continues to collaborate with private hospitals to encourage the public to proactively undergo early cancer detection.
"Early-stage cancer detection can increase the chance of recovery by up to 80–90%. One of the key efforts is through early screening," said the Minister.
He further explained that early detection methods vary depending on the type of cancer. For example, breast cancer screening can be done through SADANIS (Clinical Breast Examination) and SADARI (Self Breast Examination).
"The government, supported by the private sector, is consistently pushing innovations in cancer care, particularly for the most commonly diagnosed types," the Minister concluded. (*)
