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Patients lose access to health care over ‘administrative issue’
Dozens of patients had lost access to health care and medical treatment due to “administrative issues” between the hospitals or health facilities and the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), a law firm has claimed
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span>Dozens of patients had lost access to health care and medical treatment due to “administrative issues” between the hospitals or health facilities and the Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), a law firm has claimed.
That finding was unveiled by the Lokataru Law and Human Rights Office following five months of the research on the cooperation between the BPJS and regional healthcare facilities.
Several patients have reportedly been turned down at hospitals and other healthcare facilities after their partnership with the BPJS was discontinued because their accreditation expired and has not been renewed.
“People in the middle of treatment are threatened with the discontinuation of their medical care, which is a violation of human rights,” said Lokataru cofounder and executive director Haris Azhar.
In fact, the partnership between the BPJS and health facilities was a realization of universal and social rights, he said.
Haris added that this health services issue demanded special attention from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, just as former United States president Barack Obama had championed public health care in the US.
Muhammad Elfian Alaydrus, a Lokataru researcher, said dozens of regional hospitals had lost their accreditation and were discontinuing treatment of patients.
“People registered with the National Health Insurance [JKN] can only get access to BPJS partner hospitals. They cannot get healthcare services at nonpartnered hospitals, which is against JKN [rules],” Elfian said.
The Lokataru report names 28 hospitals from various regions that no longer have the accreditation to serve JKN participants.
The cities of Ambon (Maluku), Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), Magelang (Central Java), Malang (East Java), Manado (North Sulawesi), Medan (North Sumatra), Pangkal Pinang (South Sumatra), Pare-Pare (South Sulawesi), Sukabumi (West Java), Surakarta (Central Java), Tangerang (Banten), Tasikmalaya (West Java) and Tulung Agung (East Java) each lost one health facility accreditation.
In Yogyakarta, two health facility lost their accreditation, while Surabaya and Central Jakarta lost three accredited facilities and Medan four. All no longer partner with the BPJS.
A number of patients are affected by health facilities’ loss of accreditation, such as Siloam Asri Hospital in South Jakarta.
“As many as 35 patients suddenly can no longer undergo kidney dialysis at Siloam Asri, because the hospital lost its accreditation,” Elfian said.
He added that, while accreditation was designed to maintain quality standards at healthcare facilities, many patients were affected by the technical aspects of accreditation leading to a loss of care.
According to the Lokataru report, as of December 2018, there were 720 unaccredited hospitals.
As many as 52 hospitals had their accreditation expire in April 2019, with 482 hospitals to further lose their accreditation in 2019.
BPJS spokesman Iqbal Anas Ma’ruf, meanwhile, denies there was a violation of human rights regarding the accreditation.
“The aim of accreditation by the Health Ministry is to provide better services for medical treatment and the survival of patients,” Iqbal told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
The accreditation is conducted by the Hospital Accreditation Commission (KARS) as determined by the Health Ministry.
He further added that if the health facilities did not comply with the set regulation they posed a danger to the public.
“There is always another hospital [accredited and partnered with the BPJS] able to serve patients,” said Iqbal.
Information sent to the Post by the BPJS show that healthcare facilities in many regions have lost their accreditation, but also that people have alternative healthcare facilities in the regions that are still partnered with the BPJS. (tru)
