During his visit to Ambon, Maluku, on Thursday, President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo reiterated his plan to disburse Rp 100 billion (US$7.6 million) to 98 cities in the country for infrastructure projects that suited local characteristics.

Jokowi made the remark as he started a five-day visit to several provinces in eastern Indonesia, namely Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua, which have long been considered the country'€™s backwater regions.

Jokowi said that under the current arrangement it was almost impossible for individual cities to spend money to develop their unique qualities.

'€œStarting next year, the central government will disburse more or less Rp 100 billion to the cities,'€ Jokowi said in his speech to open the national meeting of the Association of the Indonesian City Administration Association (Apeksi) in Ambon, Maluku, on Thursday morning.

Jokowi was quick to add that the funds could only be spent on markets, roads, bridges or ports and other infrastructure projects.

He said the disbursement of the funds would depend on whether the cities had implemented e-budgeting or a comprehensive one-stop service for business licensing.

Jokowi also said that development projects financed by the funds should be consistent with the unique characteristics of individual cities.

'€œEach city is supposed to focus on being, for instance, a maritime city, green city, smart city or heritage city,'€ he said.

Later on Thursday, Jokowi paid a visit to Buru Island in Maluku, where he called on local farmers to increase their yields and distributed the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) under the National Health Insurance (JKN) program, along with the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) and Prosperous Family Card (KKS), to local residents.

Jokowi, who has set a target for Indonesia to achieve rice self-sufficiency within the next three years, was joined by Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono during Thursday'€™s visit.

'€œHere, there is actually potential to develop 10,000 hectares of rice fields. However, only half of them are managed,'€ said Jokowi, who later told the farmers to meet the target within two years.

On Buru Island, which once served as a prison island for alleged communist party members, Jokowi also inaugurated the Way Laman irrigation system, as part of what he called an effort to improve agriculture on the island, '€œso that Maluku province would no longer have to procure rice from other provinces in the country'€.

During the visit, Jokowi also pledged to provide better health services for local people.

Jokowi warned that private hospitals were required to admit patients holding national health cards and that failing to do so could mean the revocation of their licenses.

As for state- and city-run hospitals, the President said they were to provide best services to KIS holders.

'€œIf the hospitals don'€™t give good service, just report them to the governor, or health minister, or even the President,'€ he said.

Under the management of the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), the JKN program has unified health insurance plans for civil servants, employees, military officers, as well as the poor.

Despite the program'€™s popularity, many participants have filed reports about being denied services, especially those holding KIS cards, previously known as Jamkesmas '€” a part of the JKN program in which the government pays premiums for poor families.

Soon after wrapping up his visit to Buru Island on Thursday afternoon, Jokowi flew to Ternate in North Maluku where he is set to visit on Friday Sofifi '€” which is located on Halmahera Island '€” to see the development of the city since it was named the capital of the province in 2010.

The President will continue his visit to Jayapura in Papua on Friday afternoon.

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