Jakarta, July 24 -- Indonesia's Navy Pharmaceutical Agency (Lafial) is prepared to produce affordable medicines on a large scale, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Ali announced on Thursday.

"Lafial is ready to carry out this mandate, working under the Ministry of Defense," Ali said in Jakarta.

He noted that navy personnel have long relied on high-quality medicines produced by Lafial and revealed plans to enhance the agency's production capacity by building additional support facilities.

Ali added that the Navy already operates a laboratory in Jakarta, which will be upgraded, renovated, and expanded with support from the Ministry of Defense.

Earlier, on July 22, Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin confirmed that he had instructed...