General Practitioners’ Attitudes toward Traditional Indonesian Herbal Medicine and Integrative Care in the Universal Health Coverage System

Implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Indonesia has created renewed momentum for integrating traditional Indonesian herbal medicine (TIHM) in healthcare delivery under the national health insurance program (NHI). At present, little is known about the attitudes of conventional healthcare practitioners towards the clinical use of TIHM. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) towards TIHM use in conventional care and their perception of the integration of TIHM in the NHI. A total of 30 GPs from 28 conventional health facilities were purposively selected to participate in the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through administered-questionnaire and interviews. The majority of participating GPs demonstrated a favourable view towards TIHM role in conventional care and the potential integration of TIHM under the NHI. Being used as an adjunct therapy in the conventional treatment of chronic diseases, including degenerative disease and metabolic syndrome, and in palliative care, seemed to be the most promising areas to emphasize TIHM role in conventional care in the anticipated integration. However, only a few GPs had formally prescribed TIHM to their patient. The barriers of TIHM use in their practice include knowledge gap, unclear regulatory procedure, unreliable provision of TIHM and exclusion of TIHM in the NHI. While the GPs accepted the idea of integrative care under the NHI, to achieve an institutional integration, their knowledge base in TIHM must be improved while also addressing regulation, development of TIHM’s formal list, and issues of safety of TIHM to ensure evidence-based practice.