Indonesian President Calls For Closer Ties With India On Healthcare, Education

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called for deeper cooperation with India in the fields of healthcare, education and trade.

During a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, he revealed that Indonesia is short of around 160,000 doctors.

“We hope to enhance cooperation with India, particularly through sending professors and specialist doctors to teach at our universities,” he said, according to a statement from Presidential Secretariat.

Prabowo also welcomed the growing interest from Indian companies in Indonesia’s healthcare sector, particularly in pharmaceuticals and the establishment of foreign hospital branches.

He stressed the importance of increasing the number of Indonesian students studying in India, as well as strengthening educational ties between the two countries.

The two leaders also discussed trade cooperation opportunities, including the import of rice from India, with Prabowo stating, “We hope to finalise an agreement on the import of rice from India.”

-- BERNAMA