"If diplomatic missions already have their own medical insurance schemes, what we are offering is actually a coordination with the Indonesian government, and thus cutting the costs that would have to be covered by the embassies," Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) head of marketing Budi Mohammad Arief said on Thursday.

Budi was speaking during a seminar at the Foreign Ministry to raise awareness of the mandatory registration for the national health insurance, as stipulated in the 2011 Social Security Provider Law. The law states that all foreign workers who have been in Indonesia for six months must register for the program.

During the session, a number of representatives from diplomatic missions, namely the ambassadors from Iraq and Jordan, raised questions in regard to the regulation.

Both said that under their respective national policies, their governments had already outlined their own insurance schemes for those employed at the embassies, negating the need to join additional schemes.

BPJS Ketenagakerjaan CEO Agus Susanto, whose institution is responsible for health insurance for workers in Indonesia, said the government aimed to work together with all countries that had representatives here, but would discuss the issue further with lawyers due to the fact that the legal framework of such cooperation was still unclear.

"Of course I understand that those who have diplomatic immunity may not be obliged to register, but I'm saying that for those who are local staff, they must participate in the social security program," Agus said.

Local staff at foreign representative offices can comprise foreign workers from respective home countries but who do not hold a diplomatic title.

Agus said 27 diplomatic missions had registered for the program. He also called on all embassies to urge every foreign company that had branches and human resources employed in Indonesia to register for the social security program.  Indonesia hosts 132 foreign embassies and consulates.

The protocol and consular affairs director-general at the Foreign Ministry, Andri Hadi, said the diplomatic missions that had registered would benefit from the four programs provided through the insurance scheme, namely employment injury benefits, death benefits, the provident fund program and the pension program.

However, it is to be noted that foreigners are exempted from the pension program. Policy states that coverage automatically ceases when a foreigner leaves Indonesia for good.  

Andri said the ministry would try to bridge between the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan and the embassies in attaining the goal of universal health care, which the government aims to reach by 2019, and includes both formal and informal workers.

"The embassies hold all the data of their citizens and companies located here, so they can also monitor who has registered and who hasn't," Andri told reporters. (bbn)

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