T

he successful implementation of the city'€™s healthcare program, the Jakarta Health Card (KJS), has attracted the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) to turn it into a model to be applied nationwide.

'€œThey have observed our program and support its continuity,'€ Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said after meeting with a delegation of the international body at City Hall on Wednesday.

He said the organization did not criticize the program.

The KJS program is designed to support 4.7 million Jakarta residents, 1.2 million of whom are entitled to national health insurance (Jamkesnas) while the remaining 3.5 million have been left uninsured. The Jakarta Health Agency has thus far recorded 2 million eligible beneficiaries.

Some hurdles occurred after the launch last year, including when overwhelmed hospitals denied admission to an ailing child due to a lack of equipment. Some hospitals also complained that treatment rates were too low.

However, after some adjustments, the city administration managed to proceed with the program.

Health agency head Dien Emmawati said the WHO would later examine all aspects, including
the service, the doctors, the medicines and the treatment rates to see whether they were suitable for implementation in other provinces.

'€œThe KSJ program in Jakarta is important as it is a pilot project for a similar program,'€ she said.

The healthcare program is a prototype for the national program that will begin in January 2014 and will be carried out by state-owned insurance company PT Askes under the 2011 Social Security
Provider Law.

Meanwhile, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) revealed on the sidelines of a seminar attended by regional administration chiefs that the recent open selection for Jakarta'€™s subdistrict and district chiefs was an exemplary model of a recruitment process for strategic positions in local administrations and even at ministerial level.

The open selection for the posts of 44 district heads and 267 sub-district heads received a good
response.

Many Jakartans said the public services in district and subdistrict offices improved after the selection, which included computerized written tests, interviews and program pitching.

The administration planned to use the same procedure to choose community health center (puskesmas) heads as well as teachers and school principals.

ICW researcher Ade Irawan said a bad recruitment system produced corrupt officials.

'€œIf the leaders want to have a good bureaucracy that serves the people, they can use this merit scheme,'€ he said.

According to Ahok, who was also in attendance at the seminar, the main obstacle was resistance from bureaucrats who took advantage of the old recruitment system.