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lack of low-cost in-patient facilities is one of the problems the Indonesian government will face as it gears up for the implementation of the Social Security Providers (BPJS) Law in January 2014.

According to the law, a state agency will be responsible for managing health and manpower insurance.

However, a shortage in low-cost hospital rooms will hamper the agency in providing health insurance, an official said.

The Health Ministry’s health coverage and financing center director, Usman Sumantri, said recently that the ministry would drive its resources to improve basic health services by ensuring better quality facilities and providing skilled health workers.

“We have around 220,000 third-class hospital rooms and that is quite enough. Unfortunately, most of those facilities are located in particular areas, resulting in huge disparity in the distribution of [low-cost] beds,” he said.

With only less than two years to go, the government is working to ensure that both the health-care facilities and skilled health workers are evenly distributed throughout the country.

“We need up to 96,000 third-class beds to ensure that once the BPJS law comes into effect, healthcare facilities can serve all patients,” said Usman.

In the 2013 fiscal year, the Health Ministry will receive a budget allocation of Rp 31.2 trillion (US$3.27 billion), an increase on the previous year.

With the increased budget, Usman said that the government would also provide incentives that were required to lure physicians, in particular specialist doctors, to agree to work in remote areas, such as on the borders of provinces and on outer islands.

“We currently have an adequate number of doctors per capita but they are concentrated in certain urban centers. With the increased fund, we will encourage them to agree to work in rural and remote areas,” he said.