Govt to upgrade status of hospitals

Govt to upgrade status of hospitals

JAKARTA: The government will upgrade the status of its nonprofit
social service agencies into public service enterprises this
year, starting with 13 state hospitals, the finance ministry
announced on Friday.

Director General for State Treasury Mulia Nasution said the
government expected the agencies to become more professional and
independent in their financial management while offering better
services.

"It will encourage a corporate and entrepreneurship culture in
their management," he said, adding that the ministry would
strictly monitor them to make sure public services were not
commercialized.

The health ministry's Director General for Public Health
Services Farid Husain, meanwhile, said the move would affect six
general hospitals in Jakarta and one in Bandung, Semarang,
Yogyakarta, Denpasar, Padang, Palembang and Makassar.

Other agencies include regional authority agencies, state
universities and state fund management agencies. -- JP