Discussion on Health Economics
On February 1, 2012 Company-Community Partnerships for Health in Indonesia (CCPHI) together with Nestlé Indonesia held a discussion on “Malnutrition in Children from the Perspective of Health Economics.” This discussion is part of CCPHI activities that facilitate partnerships involving companies, NGOs, and local governments. Thirty-nine people participated in the discussion representing eight companies, 12 NGOs, one academic institution, one donor agency, and five media organizations.
Three experts on Health Economics presented at the discussion including Dr. Jörg Spieldenner, MD, MSc, MAS - Global Head of Health Economics and Epidemiology, Nestlé Nutrition Institute; Prof. Dr. Firman Lubis - Chairman of the Board of Experts of the Indonesian Doctors Association and Chairman of the Kusuma Buana Foundation; and Dr. Saptawati Bardosono, MSc. - professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia. The presentations showed how malnutrition in children can have a negative impact on the economy and how economic growth can help address problems of pediatric malnutrition.
The discussion concluded that malnutrition can reduce productivity and have a negative impact on the economy. One solution mentioned is to encourage public-private partnerships to implement effective nutrition programs.