Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – There is a presumption of employment Doctor is a dream profession. By becoming a doctor, it could be said that the ticket to success and wealth is already in your hands. This made Ong Joe San alias Eddie Lembong want to pursue this noble profession.
The man who was born on September 30 1936 then went to school seriously. He then studied middle school and high school at the private Don Bosco school in Manado. However, when he wanted to enter the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, fate said otherwise. He did not pass the selection.
In the midst of this disappointment, he finally chose to study pharmacy at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) around 1960. While studying in Bandung, the business instinct that came from his father as a trader also emerged in Eddie. Apart from attending lectures, he is also busy selling lecture diktats and notebooks. From there he began to build wealth.
After 4 years of college, in 1964, Eddie graduated. He then taught at ITB while serving as a pharmacist in Bandung and Jakarta.
Eddie's career journey as a drug entrepreneur only began when he worked as director of PT Wigo between 1969-1971. According to Sam Setyautama in Chinese ethnic figures in Indonesia (2008), PT Wigo was founded in 1968 by Wim Kalona who was a pioneer in the pharmaceutical industry in Indonesia.
After learning a lot at Wigo, Eddie then started to seriously pursue the pharmaceutical business which he really liked. For him, pharmacy is the best way to get in touch with the world of medicine, which he previously failed to reach.
Quote The Movement of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Indonesia Towards the Era of Globalization (1999), in 1971 Eddie and a friend founded a pharmaceutical company called PT Pharos Indonesia. They had 50:50 shares, but later his friend left Pharos and left Eddie alone to lead the company.
Eddie's strategy for bringing Pharos to develop in the pharmaceutical sector is to attract foreign companies. In What & Who Are Some Indonesians 1983-1984 (1984), Eddie admitted that he submitted a proposal to foreign companies so that their drug production would be regulated by Pharos.
One of the foreign companies that was successfully attracted was The Wellcome Foundation Ltd., a pharmaceutical company from England. The company produces the heart medicine, Lanoxin, and its distribution in Indonesia is controlled by Eddie. Later, this collaboration gave birth to a company called PT Wellcome Indonesia which was led by Eddie himself.
Over time, Eddie's peak success in the pharmaceutical world was when he discovered powdered diarrhea medication, namely Pharolit 200, and multivitamin and mineral caplets, namely Ardivit. The two drugs that were then produced by Pharos then sold well on the market, especially Pharolit which became a mainstay in treating diarrhea.
Even though the public knows him as a well-known entrepreneur and owner of the pharmaceutical industry, Eddie Lembong admits that he has a different view about medicine.
“I don't like taking medicine. Even though I believe the medicine we make is very effective,” he said What & who are some Indonesians 1983-1984 (1984).
Even so, Eddie's dislike of taking medication did not hinder the development of PT Pharos. Recently, PT Pharos has grown very large and oversees several business units, among others PT Nutrindo Jaya Abadi, PT NutriSains, PT Prima Medika Laboratories, PT Faratu (Pharmed), PT Perintis Pelayan Paripurna (Century Healthcare), PT Perintis Generik Indonesia (Generic Pharmacy), and PT Primaxcel Inovas.
All of its subsidiaries have become important players in the Indonesian pharmaceutical industry to this day. There are countless products produced that are beneficial to society. Practically, all of this made Eddie very rich even though the amount of his assets is unknown.
Eddie, like other rich people, is also active in the philanthropic world. Before he died on November 1 2017, Eddie was known to be very active in social activities. He founded the INTI Association and the Nabil Foundation. Both aim to fight for equal rights for ethnic Chinese in Indonesia.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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