Adhyatma

M. Adhyatma was an Indonesian public health official who served as the country's Ministry of [Health (Indonesia)|minister of health] between 1988 and 1993.

Early life and education

Adhyatma received a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Berkeley, UC [Berkeley School of Public Health|School of Public Health] in 1974.

Health Minister

As minister, he prioritized addressing the high cost of drugs and mandated the use of generic drugs at government-operated healthcare facilities. His policies reduced drug costs by 10–15 percent and were met with resistance by the pharmaceutical industry. He was praised for Indonesia's handling of the HIV/AIDS epidemic because the health ministry regularly published case counts, whereas other Asian countries often hid those figures.