IDI Responds to Healthcare Workers' Empathetic Comments: Fix the BPJS and Hospital Systems, Don't Just Focus on the Perpetrator

The Chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association (PB IDI), Dr Slamet Budiarto, has responded to a case in which a number of healthcare workers wrote unsympathetic comments on a post by a BPJS patient who had not yet been assigned a room at a hospital. The patient, Yurizal Tri Chaerawan, has reportedly passed away. Dr Slamet stated that the unsympathetic comments written by the individuals were completely unjustifiable, as every doctor is bound by a code of ethics and a professional oath to respect patients from the beginning to the end of their care. ‘A doctor has a code of ethics and a doctor’s oath to respect the patient from the start until death. That must be honoured,’ he told Republika on Wednesday (5/8/2026).

Nevertheless, Dr Slamet believes the root causes behind the doctor’s actions must be investigated. He suggested that heavy workloads and a poor service system could trigger fatigue and stress among healthcare workers. ‘Perhaps the doctor’s comment was wrong. But the cause, the origin, must be sought. Maybe they were too tired, because the system is not good, exhausted. But still, speaking like that is not justified,’ he said. He added that while imposing ethical sanctions on the offending doctor is necessary, such steps will not solve the problem if the root issues within the healthcare service system are not addressed. ‘So do not just focus on the doctor, because if this case goes to a hearing and they are sanctioned, it is finished. But what about the system? Fixing the system is far more important. That is what must be pursued,’ Dr Slamet said.

He also highlighted the service systems of the hospital and BPJS Kesehatan. He assessed that the hospital should have a system to detect patients requiring emergency treatment. ‘Firstly, I see that the hospital’s service system is poor, resulting in the patient being neglected for eight hours and eventually dying. The hospital should be able to screen which patients need quick treatment and which do not. This indicates a system failure at the hospital,’ Dr Slamet said. He also believes the case reflects a failure in the BPJS Kesehatan system. According to Slamet, the referral and service mechanisms of BPJS Kesehatan should be simplified. ‘Secondly, there is also a system failure at BPJS. The BPJS system should be made easier, including the referral system and so on,’ he said.

He then criticised the efficiency policies implemented by BPJS Kesehatan. According to Slamet, these measures directly impact hospital services, whereas the health sector should not be a target for efficiency cuts because it involves patients’ lives. ‘Now, BPJS is making massive efficiency cuts. Consequently, hospitals are automatically affected. Yet, there should be no efficiency in the health sector because it concerns lives. So, according to IDI, the BPJS system must be overhauled,’ Slamet stated. He also urged the Ministry of Health to evaluate the service system, especially since the hospital in question is suspected to be a vertical hospital under the Ministry of Health. ‘The Ministry of Health, which created the system, must also fix it. What is worse, the hospital is owned by the Ministry of Health. A vertical hospital under the Ministry of Health should be an example or a role model for other hospitals,’ he said.