Experts back national health plan

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Yayan, who runs a small business in Bekasi, West Java, was a initially skeptical when told about a government program to give every citizen health insurance. However, he could not hide his interest in hearing more.

"Every citizen will have such insurance? Well, if that's the case, I would like to join the program. I don't mind paying premiums as long as I no longer get stressed handling the cost of my family's medical care," he told The Jakarta Post.

Yayan was reacting to a government plan to introduce a social security system, under which all citizens, except those in the lower-income bracket, will be obliged to pay premiums for a national health insurance (JKN) program.

All citizens will then be able to get basic health services covered by JKN premium funds and not be forced to borrow money or sell their belongings to pay for medical care.

For example, Yayan, whose wife had to have surgery to remove a cyst recently, would not have had to borrow money or ask for money from his relatives to pay the hospital bill if he had had insurance.

"I still cannot figure from where I will get the money to repay the debt for my wife's surgery," he said. "I think I might borrow money from somebody else or ask my relatives to pay half the cost. Well, I don't know, let's see."

In a seminar organized by the Legal Aid Institute for Health (LBHK) in Jakarta on Friday, health experts Kartono Mohamad and Sarmedi Purba said they supported the JKN plan, but stressed that good management and community participation were needed for it to succeed.

"It's about time for us to implement a national health insurance system so everybody in this country -- especially those in the lower-income bracket -- can get proper medical services," said Purba, a doctor in Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra.

Kartono, a noted doctor who is also an activist in the Coalition for a Healthy Indonesia, said the government should implement the system immediately and all health service workers as well as the population should be made ready for it.

"I support the planned JKN. But to make sure that the system works well, good governance, transparent premium fund management and community participation are needed," Kartono said.

The seminar acknowledged that a lot of Indonesians were unaware of the need for health insurance.

"I have met people who claim they don't have money to pay for health care, whereas they smoke expensive cigarettes or buy fancy apparel," one participant said.

The meeting agreed that to support this plan, the government should carry out a nationwide campaign promoting health.