Regional health budgets increase, under scrutiny

Local governments have gradually allocated higher portions of their regional budgets to the health sector, said Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi.

However, the ministry discovered that the funds may have gone to unnecessary costs such as doctors’ field trips and facility improvements rather than improving the quality of service for the people.

"We evaluated 46 local governments that allocated high portions of their regional budgets to the health sector. Some of them disbursed money for doctors' field trips, not for the health service improvements," he said at a national dialog on combating dengue in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Gamawan said that the local governments should review their budget arrangements.

"It is good that, in terms of quantity, they have big health budgets, but what matters more is how the funds improve people's health," he said.

The quantity versus quality issue, he said, showed that a deep evaluation on regional budgets was necessary.

"By evaluating the budgets and comparing them with the actions taken, we can see what we need to do to boost the quality of people's health," he said.

He said it was possible that his ministry could cooperate with the Health Ministry to review more than 500 regional budgets. (lfr)