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Ombudsman calls for better service as BPJS transitions to single-class hospital care
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A Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) official helps a patient on May 14, 2024, at the agency's South Jakarta office. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
T
he Indonesian Ombudsman has called on the government to ensure better hospital facilities and fair premiums once standardized inpatient care for National Health Insurance (JKN) policyholders goes into full effect next year.
Ombudsman commissioner Robert Na Endi Jaweng said on Wednesday that the single-tier care system, dubbed KRIS, should not result in lower-quality medical services.
Earlier this month, the government issued a presidential regulation that mandates the establishment of the standardized hospital care under the JKN program to replace its three existing classes by June 30 of next year. The insurance scheme is operated by the state-owned Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).
Robert said that “disparities in hospital services” had been the primary cause of maladministration in health services and called on the government to conduct a “full audit” of hospitals working with BPJS Kesehatan to ensure that the KRIS system would improve health services instead of worsening them.
Standardizing health services could only be beneficial if hospitals were equipped with sufficient resources, he said, adding that the government had so far been negligent in improving the capacity of healthcare providers.
“For example, we have found that in several places, cardiac catheterization labs are available in the hospitals there, but there are no specialist doctors. We ask the Health Ministry to pay special attention to the availability of health resources,” Robert said.
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