President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has appealed to aides to take heed of technological developments in healthcare in the national development planning.

"We have to take anticipatory measures for technological development in healthcare," Jokowi stated at the opening of the meeting on national development planning in 2021 held virtually from the State Palace here on Tuesday.

The president remarked that healthcare technology had developed at a rapid pace and was not restricted to medical diagnosis and distance consultation.

"More than medical diagnosis and distance consultation, we have used artificial intelligence for diagnosis, medical treatment, precision medicine, and even distance surgery. Soon, we can do this from everywhere," he remarked.

The president noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had expedited the application of technology in the field of education at a time when distance learning has become a necessity.

Online education services have grown rapidly, with learning materials becoming accessible from any sources, while teachers and schools played their roles as facilitators for freedom of learning for students.

"These are fast, and development planning must anticipate it. It must be responsive to any disruption that could make the world change rapidly and unexpectedly. It must be responsive to the developments in science and technology," Jokowi remarked.

Hence, Jokowi believes expenditure on technology should be treated as investment that would offer benefits to the public and state, and considering its efficiency and contribution to the development of domestic technology. (Antaranews)