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