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City council to question Jokowi over popular healthcare program

A number of lawmakers from the Jakarta Legislative Council have put their signature to support the planned political move to interpellate or question Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo over the popular free healthcare program for Jakartans

Indah Setiawati (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, May 26, 2013

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City council to question Jokowi over popular healthcare program

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number of lawmakers from the Jakarta Legislative Council have put their signature to support the planned political move to interpellate or question Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo over the popular free healthcare program for Jakartans.

Democratic Party councilor Taufiqurrahman said that 32 lawmakers, including himself, had so far given their support to the political move and submitted the petition to the chief councilor following the hearing between the legislative council'€™s Commission E on social affairs and 16 private hospitals, two of which have withdrawn from the healthcare program, on Thursday.

The 32 petitioners were from the Democratic Party, United Development Party (PPP), National Awakening Party (PAN), People'€™s Conscience Party (Hanura) and Golkar Party. But the Golkar leadership denied their support for the move on Sunday and vowed to communicate with other factions to drop it.

'€œThere is a setback in the program compared to the previous one. In the previous program, a resident was insured up to a limit of Rp 100 million (US$10,225). In this program, not all medicines and medical treatments are covered,'€ Taufiqurrahman told The Jakarta Post over the telephone on Saturday.

He was referring to the healthcare program for poor families, or JPK-Gakin, under the administrations of former governors Sutiyoso and Fauzi Bowo.

The Kartu Jakarta Sehat (KJS) program was launched in November 2012 by the newly elected Jokowi.

Taufiqurrahman said that if the healthcare program continued it would cause financial losses for participating hospitals and would not provide full benefits to low-income patients.

'€œDon'€™t interpret the interpellation as a political move to impeach the governor. We just want to ask him directly about this program,'€ he said.

During the hearing with the legislative council'€™s social affairs commission, 16 private hospitals taking part in the program conveyed  their complaints about unfavorable rates for medical services that have caused financial difficulties for the hospitals.

The secretary of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) faction, S Andyka, said the legislative council was free to exercise its interpellation rights but it was not necessary in this case.

'€œI think it is too early to use the interpellation rights. The KJS system is still in evaluation. I am afraid it could be a political blunder for the supporting parties because the move may spark strong resistance from residents,'€ he told the Post over the telephone.

Amy Yayuk Sri Rahayu, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, said Jokowi'€™s KJS was really a pro-people program that should be supported by all stakeholders, including the legislative council.

'€œThe only problem in the program is its system that needs to be revised. The city council should support the popular program, instead of discouraging it,'€ she said.

Jokowi reiterated recently that his free healthcare program would continue despite the problems. He said his side was still reviewing the healthcare system, including free healthcare card holders'€™ premiums covered by the city government.

Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama played down the political move and said: '€œwe are not worried about it and will answer the council'€™s queries. Please do ask us anything.'€

However, Ahok--as the deputy governor is popularly known--lamented the council'€™s move, saying that such a move was not necessary. '€œI think the KJS issue has been politicized. There were only two hospitals that withdrew from the program and the council was already aiming to question us,'€ he said.

The governor will be questioned only if the political move wins approval from the legislative council through a plenary session, and he could be impeached through a no-confidence motion if the legislative council finds his accountability '€œpolitically unsatisfactory.'€

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