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Graft a plague on regional health budgets
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 08/23/2007 1:23 PM
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Non-governmental organization activists and lawmakers said they were concerned Wednesday over newly surfaced irregularities in the health sectors.
Syamsuddin Alimsyah from the Legislative Watch Committee of Sulawesi said the central government had been allocating more funds for health services in the regions as part of the alleviation effort -- but that health service coverage still failed to accommodate the underprivileged.
In 2007, the central government allocated Rp 20 trillion (US$2.22 billion), or 2.6 percent of the entire state budget for the health sector.
But Syamsuddin said the allocation failed to cover all public health services, because much of the money was going toward routine expenditures, including salaries for health workers.
The problem was exacerbated by irregularities in the usage of allocated health funds, he said.
In the case of Takalar regency in Sulawesi, which claimed to have allocated funds to reduce poverty, it was found the regency had used the money to build a monument to honor national heroes, he said.
Local officials, influenced by traditional thinking, said regional poverty persisted because people disrespected the system.
Syamsuddin said another case had seen officials misuse funds provided for affordable drugs to finance trips to other regions to check drug prices there.
""These things often happen because the people formulating the regional budget are wealthy and do not understand the needs of the poor,"" he said.
""The discussion of the regional budget should not be dominated by the Home Affairs Ministry, but should also involve people at large.""
Ribka Tjiptaning, chairperson of the House's Commission IX of labor, health and social affairs, criticized the government's policy that provided free health services for people in need at hospitals and community health centers through Askeskin.
Askeskin is the health insurance program run by state-owned health insurance firm PT Askes for the 76.4 million listed as living below the poverty line nationwide.
""The Constitution stipulates health service as a basic right, which is why the government should provide the same services to all citizens,"" Ribka said.
""The Health Ministry should serve anyone who is needy, not just those on the regency's welfare list.""
A regulation issued by the Health Minister said ""only poor people mentioned in regency or mayoral decrees would receive free health services"".
The lists are issued based on the Central Statistic Agency (BPS) data.
Ribka, who represents the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the indicators used by the agency to determine who was in need often failed to reflect actual conditions in the region.
She said one criteria that defined people as living below the poverty line was if they lived in house with dirt floors.
But she said in northern Mojokerto, East Java, there were families living in such homes who own large trucks for business use.
Ribka also said a family living in a tile-floored house was considered well-off, even though the breadwinner had passed away.
""This policy may result in social and political problems in the regions,"" she said.
""The officials issuing the poor people list should be the neighborhood unit chiefs, not the regents or mayors."" (14)
