BPJS Kesehatan: HTA Crucial to Sustain Heart Disease Financing
BPJS Kesehatan has stated that a balance between medical technology innovation, cost-effectiveness, and evidence-based financing policy through Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is needed to ensure the sustainability of cardiovascular disease financing in Indonesia.
BPJS Kesehatan President Director dr. Prihati Pujowaskito said in Jakarta on Thursday that the increasing burden of heart disease has major consequences for National Health Insurance (JKN) financing. BPJS Kesehatan data shows that the cost of heart disease services reached around Rp12.1 trillion, with approximately 15 million service cases.
“The application of innovation must provide real clinical benefits while maintaining the sustainability of the national financing system. Thus, the public continues to gain access to the best therapy without excessively burdening the health system,” Prihati said at the 35th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Indonesian Heart Association (ASMIHA).
According to him, this urgency is increasingly relevant considering that heart disease remains one of the catastrophic diseases with the largest financing burden in the JKN Programme. Citing data from the Ministry of Health, cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in Indonesia, where heart attacks and strokes are the main causes of death, claiming nearly 800,000 lives each year. On the other hand, Indonesia also faces a new challenge in the form of increasing patient mobility, with people choosing to seek health services abroad.
This situation shows that the transformation of national heart services no longer depends solely on technological advances and clinical competence, but also on the equitable distribution of specialist personnel, financing sustainability, quality of patient experience, and public trust in the domestic health system.
Chairman of the Indonesian College of Cardiology and Vascular Medicine, dr. Renan Sukmawan, said that these challenges are no longer solely related to clinical ability. According to him, the competence of Indonesian cardiologists is already able to compete with global standards. He noted that the overall patient experience is becoming an increasingly decisive factor in building public trust.
“The quality of service does not stop at medical procedures. Transparent communication, humanistic care, easy-to-understand processes, and the patient experience from the first visit to the completion of treatment are important parts of rebuilding public trust in Indonesian health services,” he said.
Chairman of the 35th ASMIHA 2026, dr. Amir Aziz Alkatiri, said the forum brought together government, professional organisations, academics, healthcare providers, and community leaders to discuss the direction of a comprehensive transformation of Indonesia’s cardiology ecosystem.