Alwi forbids clinics from charging

BANDUNG: Following the disbursement of health funds saved from the fuel subsidy cuts, community health centers would no longer be allowed to charge people for treatment, a minister says.

Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Alwi Shihab said the government had allocated Rp 3.78 trillion (US$389 million) of the total money saved to provide free health care for the poor.

Many people have been charged medical fees when visiting health centers because they could not produce letters from their village chiefs stating their economic status.

Under the scheme, the government pays Rp 5,000 in monthly heath insurance premiums for 20 million poor families. The government will also pay transportation allowances for health workers.

Alwi said the compensation funds would be directly channeled to the health centers. -- JP