[1][2] Before Balitbangkes existed, the agency was preceded by four Health Laboratories under the Indonesian Department of Health formed in 1950-1960s, three were soon founded after the end of Indonesian National Revolution: Institute for People's Food in Bogor (researched human nutrition), Central Institute for Investigation and Eradication of Venereal Diseases in Surabaya (researched transmission and eradication of sexually transmitted diseases and venereal diseases), and Tawangmangu Hortus Medicus in Karanganyar (researched traditional herbal medicines and remedies and collection of medicinal plants), and the last was 1969 founded National Research Institute of Department of Health.

Balitbangkes play roles in development measures and policies to control COVID-19, and surveilling local variants and SARS-CoV-2 viral evolution in Indonesia thru Whole Genome Sequencing equipments owned by the agency.

[5] Balitbangkes and its child agencies also performed 24 ongoing nation-wide multidisciplinary COVID-19 observation studies across Indonesia.

In the plan, announced on 23 September 2021, Balitbangkes will be transformed into Agency for Health Policies Development (Indonesian: Badan Kebijakan Pembangunan Kesehatan, BKPK), a regulatory agency intended to provide only policies and standards making for state health activity, no longer doing research as the research part will be relinquished to BRIN.

[11] Lab-based diagnostics, modelling, early warning, and fast response system development and utilization for disease surveillance and responding plagues and/or other health incidents performed thru Indonesian public health laboratories system, which absorbed all former Balitbangkes regional branches.