Budi GunadiSadikin or commonly known as BGS was officially appointed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as the new Minister of Health (Menkes), replacing TerawanAgusPutranto.

President Jokowi and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin announced that assurance at the Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (22/12/2020) afternoon.

Budi GunadiSadikin does not have a medical or health background. However, he is not a new player in the ranks of the government bureaucracy.

Quoting the official website of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Wednesday (23/12/2020), the figure of Budi GunadiSadikin is an old man in the Ministry of BUMN.

Regarding Budi GunadiSadikin's background, who is neither from medicine nor health, what is the epidemiologist's response?

Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University Australia, Dicky Budiman said that the appointment of ministers is the prerogative of the president. This includes the appointment of Budi GunadiSadikin as the new Minister of Health replacing TerawanAgusPutranto.

Apart from that, Dicky also congratulated BGS on solving health problems in Indonesia.

"I congratulate and then I say that the homework is big and heavy. It will be even heavier, especially since the new Minister of Health is not based on health," Dicky told Kompas.com, Wednesday (23/12/2020).

"It must be admitted that it will be like, just being realistic. To say it is not heavy is wrong and dishonest," continued Dicky.

Dicky said to completing these "homeworks" requires a fairly broad and deep vision related to health programs. Therefore, he suggested that Budi GunadiSadikin later appoint the right figures to help him.

Dicky hopes that the new health minister can improve testing and tracing and not only depend on the vaccination process. This was not without reason, because Dicky said Budi GunadiSadikin was also involved in the process of bringing in the Covid-19 vaccine.