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Health centers gear up for post-election stress, depression
Some health centers are anticipating an influx in legislative candidates seeking treatment for stress and depression after the election.
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Two men study the list of 2019 general election candidates posted to a bulletin board outside the General Elections Commission (KPU) office in Malang, East Java. (The Jakarta Post/Aman Rochman)
T
he national health agency and medical facilities are bracing for a rise in cases of post-election stress among legislative candidates, particularly those who are defeated at today's polls.
The latest to join the ranks is the Karawang Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) in West Java. The head of the Karawang agency, Unting Patri Wicaksono Pribadi, said it would bear the costs for treating legislative candidates, if necessary.
“Don’t worry, legislative candidates, if you become depressed because you fail in the election. We will settle your [medical bills] until you [have recovered],” Unting told kompas.com on Tuesday.
He added that BPJS Kesehatan Karawang would even reimburse the candidates if they were to mental health hospitals, as long as they were registered and had paid their monthly premiums.
The 2014 ministerial regulation on national health insurance standard premiums states that BPJS Kesehatan covers treatments for depression, personality disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other mental disorders under the state-funded National Health Insurance-Healthy Indonesia Card (JKN-KIS).
Meanwhile, staff at a psychiatric rehabilitation center in Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra, were also anticipating legislative candidates to come seeking treatment.
Ucok Ronny Sitorus said he had already prepared counseling sessions on “inner peace” that offered treatment through exercise, music therapy and prayer.
Another staffer, Hermin Fitrian Hutagaol, said she was ready to welcome legislative candidates who were suffering from depression.
“Legislative candidates usually experience severe stress when they get carried away by their campaigns and become obsessed with it," she said. "Many of them are devastated because they lose a large sum of money [in the campaign].”
City-owned Depok Hospital stated last month that they had readied additional rooms for treating legislative candidates after the election. (mai)
