Health Minister Reveals Issues Within Top-Rated Hospitals, Explains Discrepancies
The Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, has revealed a discrepancy between the accreditation status of healthcare facilities and the actual quality of service experienced by patients. This was disclosed during a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Monday (14/09/202/6), which focused on evaluating healthcare service quality and patient safety through the accreditation system.
Budi stated that the current assessment system relies too heavily on fulfilling inputs and resembles a mere checklist. Consequently, these assessments do not necessarily reflect the daily quality of care received by patients. “We realise there is a gap between how we measure quality and the expectations of patients and healthcare personnel,” Budi said during the meeting at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta.
He cited examples of hospitals achieving excellent accreditation status while simultaneously suffering from high maternal and infant mortality rates. Other identified issues include delayed payments to healthcare workers and difficulties in maintaining medicine supplies. Budi emphasised that external assessments are often periodic and fail to capture the continuous nature of healthcare delivery, noting that patients enter hospitals every hour, not once every five years during an inspection.
Verification of 144 Top-Tier Hospitals: Only Nine Found Compliant
According to the Ministry’s evaluation, the issue was evident in recent accreditation verifications. Between February and July 2026, the Ministry of Health verified 192 hospitals applying for accreditation status. The results showed discrepancies in 71% of the applications, with only 29% deemed compliant.
Discrepancies were most prevalent among hospitals previously awarded ‘Paripurna’ (top-tier) status by accreditation agencies. Out of 144 hospitals rated as ‘Paripurna’, only nine were found to be compliant following the Ministry’s verification, while 135 others were deemed non-compliant. Meanwhile, of the 39 hospitals with ‘Utama’ (primary) status, 38 were found to be compliant. All nine hospitals with ‘Madya’ (intermediate) status were also found to be compliant.
Following these adjustments, the 192 hospitals were reclassified into 9 ‘Paripurna’, 173 ‘Utama’, and 10 ‘Madya’ status. Budi noted that the Ministry found top-tier hospitals still facing fundamental problems, such as high maternal and infant mortality rates in certain regencies and cities, as well as issues regarding doctor payment delays and medicine availability.
Patient Complaints to be Integrated into Accreditation
The Ministry of Health plans to overhaul the accreditation system so it no longer relies solely on facilities and documentation. Three main components will be strengthened: the patient journey, clinical outcomes and national programmes, and healthcare facility governance.
The patient experience will be measured directly through the SATUSEHAT platform. Patients will be able to rate services ranging from registration time and doctor queues to medicine services and interactions with physicians, using a satisfaction button mechanism similar to those found in public facilities.
These survey results will be integrated into a public reporting system for healthcare facility reputations. Patients will be able to compare the quality of hospitals and community health centres (Puskesmas) based on accreditation status, patient experience surveys, and national quality indicators. Budi suggested that these ratings could be made public, similar to digital platforms like Tokopedia or food delivery services, allowing the public to monitor healthcare quality.
Patient Complaints Dominated by Service Issues
The proposed changes are driven by public complaints received by the government. The Ministry reported 139 complaints regarding hospitals between 1 January and 15 August 2026, with 70 complaints (approximately 50%) relating to patient satisfaction. Specifically, 49 complaints concerned systems and procedures, such as requirements and waiting times; six related to financing; four to service availability; and 11 to healthcare human resources. Additionally, 40 complaints (29%) related to patient safety incidents, and 29 (21%) concerned healthcare facility governance. At Puskesmas, 56 complaints were recorded between 1 January and 31 August 2026, with 51 (91%) relating to patient satisfaction. The Ministry believes this indicates that the current accreditation system does not adequately reflect the quality experienced by patients. Furthermore, the Ministry plans to increase the weight of clinical outcomes in the accreditation process, including indicators such as maternal mortality rates.