DPD Urges Central Java Healthcare Services Bill to Be Finalised Soon

Semarang (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Regional Representative Council (DPD) is urging the draft regional regulation on healthcare services in Central Java to be completed and passed as soon as possible.

“In my view, this regional regulation is overdue, given that the law has been in place for some time – the 2023 Health Law, Law No. 17/2023,” DPD member Muhdi said in Semarang on Wednesday.

He made the remarks during a dialogue entitled “The Urgency of a Regional Regulation to Improve Healthcare Services in Central Java” at the Central Java DPD office.

Muhdi said he understood the delay had resulted from various factors, but hoped the regulation could be completed by 2027.

“I think we will continue to oversee the process to ensure it is passed by 2027,” said the senator from Central Java.

The draft regulation is currently at the preparatory stage, and deliberations are expected to begin next year.

“We hope that, once enacted, this regulation will genuinely enable services to be delivered to the public fairly and to everyone,” said Muhdi, who is also a member of the DPD’s Regional Legislation Affairs Committee (BULD).

Central Java Health Office Secretary Desie Frihandini Afief welcomed the DPD’s support for the draft regulation, which was proposed by the regional government.

She said the office had received a range of suggestions, including on equalising access to healthcare, which remains uneven across parts of Central Java.

Healthcare financing was also raised, with responsibility shared between regency and municipal governments in coordination with the provincial government.

She said JKN enrolment in Central Java was already relatively high, at nearly 98 per cent. However, the challenge was keeping memberships active. BPJS Health figures put the active membership rate at just 75 per cent, she said, adding that the government still needed to update its data.

She said the regional regulation would also set out rules on JKN membership, providing a legal framework for BPJS Health coverage responsibilities at both provincial and regency or municipal levels.

The Health Office will soon map healthcare needs, as recommended at the meeting, to support the preparation of an academic paper, she said.

The regulation is targeted for enactment in 2027 and is intended to provide a legal framework for all healthcare services in Central Java.