Legislator Deplores Health Workers Mocking BPJS Patient, Demands Strict Sanctions

A member of House Commission IX, Ashabul Kahfi, has responded to allegations that health workers mocked a BPJS patient who complained about waiting eight hours for an inpatient room. He expressed regret over the statements and urged strict sanctions if the claims are proven true. “I deeply regret the emergence of satirical, degrading, and even insulting comments directed at a patient struggling to obtain health services. Especially if it is true that these comments were made by medical personnel or health workers,” Ashabul said when contacted on Thursday (6/8/2026). Ashabul stressed that the health profession demands not only competence but also empathy, ethics, and respect for patient dignity. “Joking about illness, death, or telling a patient to go to the mortuary is completely inappropriate and cannot be dismissed as mere banter on social media,” he added. Nevertheless, Ashabul asked the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders to first verify the identities of the health workers suspected of insulting the BPJS patient. He urged that the individuals be investigated. “If it is proven that they are health workers and there has been an ethical or disciplinary violation, there must be firm and proportional sanctions. This is important to maintain public trust in health workers as a whole,” he stated. Furthermore, Ashabul also highlighted the issue of the BPJS patient waiting eight hours. He expressed hope that this problem would not be overshadowed by the viral social media uproar. “The Ministry of Health, BPJS Kesehatan, the local health office, and the hospital must trace the chronology of the service, the availability of beds, the patient’s medical condition, and the reasons the patient had to wait so long. Do not jump to conclusions about the cause of death before the medical examination results are out, but the quality and speed of service must be evaluated transparently,” he asserted. He therefore urged that the case be investigated thoroughly, covering both the service aspect and the alleged ethical violation. “BPJS patients must not be treated as second-class citizens. BPJS membership is a right to health insurance, not a reason to slow down service or demean patients,” he said. He hopes this case will serve as a correction for all parties. He also expressed his deepest condolences on the passing of Yurizal Tri Chaerawan. “In the presence of a sick patient, what is needed is fast service, good communication, and empathy, not insults. I also offer my deepest condolences on the passing of the late Yurizal. May the bereaved family be given strength and fortitude,” he said. The case came to light after a BPJS patient named Yurizal Tri Chaerawan shared his experience on social media, which then went viral. On 22 July 2026, via his Threads account @yurizaltrich, Yurizal claimed he had been waiting for an inpatient room for eight hours. In his post, he did not name the hospital where he was being treated. “8 hours and still haven’t got a room. I don’t want to name the hospital, because I use BPJS,” Yurizal wrote. Instead of receiving sympathy, the post was flooded with insulting comments. Some accounts even suggested Yurizal move to the mortuary to get a room faster. There were also comments that made jokes about serious illness and self-harm. Several accounts that wrote these comments were suspected to be doctors, nurses, or other health workers based on information listed on their social media profiles. However, the identities and professions of these account owners have not yet been fully verified. The discussion widened after Yurizal was reported to have passed away on 31 July 2026. The sad news was conveyed by his cousin via social media, causing Yurizal’s old post to go viral again.