Govt told to commit to universal health care
Govt told to commit to universal health care
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara
The government's failure to formulate a system that ensures
affordable public health care, and to set up a credible agency to
implement it, reflects its lack of commitment to public health,
an insurance firm executive said.
President of state social security insurance PT Jamsostek
Ahmad Junaidi said the nation's health care service should be far
less costly, had the government learned from the experience of
more developed countries.
"Unlike in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, health care in
private and state hospitals, clinics and state public health
centers in remote areas is too costly, and low-income people such
as farmers, pedicab drivers and street vendors cannot afford it.
We need an integrated system to make it affordable," he said on
Wednesday during an opening of a Jamsostek office here.
Junaidi said it was no wonder that many Indonesian citizens
and government officials went to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand
for medical check-ups, because health-care costs in those
countries were inexpensive.
Many private hospitals in Jakarta have thrown their weight
behind the national health scheme proposed by the House of
Representatives and the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI).
Relevant government institutions, however, remain reluctant to
support it because of conflicting interests.
Separately, IDI president Farid Anfasa Moeloek openly
regretted the government's lack of political will to set up a
national health scheme that would provide inexpensive health care
services for the public.
Moeloek and Junaidi agreed with an international labor
convention that declared health as a basic human right, and that
a government was obliged to provide low-cost health services in
exchange for taxes collected from the public.
The two also shared the view that the health issue should be
addressed by presidential candidates in their campaigns, along
with corruption eradication and affordable education.
"People have to be encouraged to vote for presidential
candidates who are committed to providing affordable health care
and education, and to creating jobs," said Junaidi.
He admitted that it would be difficult to form an integrated
health system and appoint a single, credible agency to run it, as
many health insurance firms existed that catered to a particular
market segment.
"I'm not sure if smaller insurance companies like Askes and
Asabri will be ready to merge with Jamsostek and private health
insurance companies," he said. Askes provides health insurance
for civil servants, while Asabri services military and police
personnel.
A national health scheme would be operational if the
government manages to implement it rigidly and provide subsidies
for a public health program.