Ministry of Cooperatives and BPJS Kesehatan Strengthen Collaboration on Services through Kopdes
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Cooperatives is strengthening its collaboration with BPJS Kesehatan to expand the reach of healthcare services, including pharmacy and clinic services, for communities in villages through the Village/Urban Village Cooperatives (Kopdes) Merah Putih.
The cooperation is outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperatives Ahmad Zabadi and President Director of BPJS Kesehatan Prihati Pujowaskito in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Zabadi, in an official press release in Jakarta on Tuesday, revealed the government’s major plan to launch the operationalisation of 30,000 Kopdes Merah Putih in August.
“If we calculate an average of 1,000 members each, that means at least 30 million rural and urban village communities will be facilitated (with healthcare facilities) in the first phase,” he said.
Zabadi added that the potential coverage is still very broad, given there are 83,393 villages and urban villages across Indonesia.
According to him, if all those areas have cooperatives with an average of 1,000 members, then more than 80 million people can be assured of receiving healthcare service rights.
He emphasised that cooperatives in the future will not only operate in the economic sector but also become centres for healthcare services through the presence of pharmacies and clinics.
Furthermore, Zabadi highlighted the importance of collaboration between Kopdes Merah Putih and Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes). According to him, both entities are “one soul” aimed at improving the welfare of rural communities.
With a total of 139,000 cooperatives currently existing in Indonesia, the potential to encourage BPJS Kesehatan participation is considered very large.
“We welcome this cooperation and will continue to encourage all cooperative members to become BPJS participants. This is a right for all Indonesian people to receive decent healthcare services,” he said.
Meanwhile, BPJS Kesehatan President Director Prihati Pujowaskito added that the coverage of National Health Insurance (JKN) participation has reached 98 percent of Indonesia’s total population.
He stated that the main focus of this collaboration is to maintain the sustainability of the programme and ensure equitable quality healthcare services to prevent people from falling into poverty due to the burden of medical costs.
“Today we are signing the MoU to collaborate in implementing the JKN programme down to the villages, entering the Kopdes Merah Putih ecosystem, then into the MBG and SPPG ecosystems in the regions,” he said.