DPR Criticises BPJS Data Socialisation, Prioritising Public Health Rights
Jakarta, VIVA – Member of DPR RI’s Commission VIII, Derta Rohidin, has expressed his concern regarding the policy of updating the National Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN), which has impacted the deactivation of approximately 11 million participants in the Penerima Bantuan Iuran (PBI) scheme of the Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) national health insurance program.
He believes that the data update process should not sacrifice the public’s right to healthcare.
“Data updates are necessary to ensure that social assistance reaches the intended recipients. However, this process should not be implemented in a way that surprises the public, especially to the point of sacrificing the right to healthcare for patients with chronic conditions who require regular and continuous care,” said Derta in a press statement in Jakarta, Thursday, February 26, 2026.
He noted that the policy, which refers to Social Minister Decree No. 3/HUK/2026, has caused disruption on the ground. Kidney failure patients who require routine dialysis are among the most affected groups.
He believes that many kidney failure patients only found out about their inactive participant status when they arrived at healthcare facilities, forcing them to postpone or even lose access to healthcare services.
Derta Rohidin also specifically highlighted the impact of this policy in his electoral district. Based on the results of his constituency visits and received feedback, the PBI JKN deactivation policy, effective January 1, 2026, has affected approximately 15,000 participants in the city of Bengkulu.
“In Bengkulu, I received direct reports from the public. Many residents were unaware that their BPJS [social health insurance] was inactive. When they wanted to seek routine treatment or suddenly fell ill, they only then realised that their cards could not be used. This is certainly a serious obstacle, especially for poor and vulnerable families who rely heavily on government assistance,” he explained.
He added that concerns also arose due to inconsistencies in administrative population data, which often becomes the root of the problem.
“On several occasions, I found cases of errors in writing names or addresses that resulted in data not being synchronised with the DTSEN. This is a technical issue that has a significant impact on ordinary people,” he added.
On the other hand, Derta believes that this data update mechanism is not effective enough if it is not accompanied by proactive outreach.
“The Ministry of Social Affairs together with the BPS [Statistics Indonesia] are currently conducting ground checks or field verification. The first phase focuses on 106,153 patients with catastrophic/chronic diseases and is targeted to be completed by March 14, 2026. The second phase will target the 11 million participants who were deactivated after Eid. This is a good step, but for patients who need dialysis twice a week, waiting for verification is not an option. They could die,” he said.