MP: Deactivation of PBI Scheme Sacrifices the Right to Life of Chronic Disease Patients
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Member of Commission VIII of the DPR (House of Representatives) from the Golkar Party faction, Derta Rohidin, criticised the deactivation of Penerima Bantuan Iuran Jaminan Kesehatan (PBI JK) recipients in early February as a policy that sacrifices the right to life of patients with severe illnesses.
“Data updates are necessary to ensure that social assistance is targeted effectively. However, this process should not be carried out in a way that surprises the public, especially if it means sacrificing the right to life of chronic disease patients who need routine and continuous care,” said Derta in a press release on Thursday (26/2/2026).
He mentioned that the sudden update of the Data Tunggal Sosial Ekonomi Nasional (DTSEN) had a significant impact, leading to the deactivation of 11 million PBI JK participants and causing public concern.
Derta stated that the policy, which refers to Minister of Social Affairs Regulation Number 3/HUK/2026, has caused unrest in the field.
This is because many of those affected only found out about their inactive status when they arrived at healthcare facilities, forcing them to postpone or even lose access to life-saving services.
Derta then specifically highlighted the impact of this policy in his constituency, namely Bengkulu.
Based on the results of a recent parliamentary recess and feedback received by Derta, the deactivation of the BPJS PBI JKN scheme has affected approximately 15,000 participants in the city of Bengkulu.
“In Bengkulu, I received direct reports from the public. Many residents were unaware that their BPJS (health insurance) was inactive. When they wanted to seek routine treatment or suddenly fell ill, they only then realised that their cards could not be used. This is certainly a serious obstacle, especially for poor and vulnerable families who rely heavily on government assistance,” he said.
“On several occasions, I found cases of errors in writing names or addresses, which resulted in data not being synchronised with the DTSEN. This is a technical issue that has a significant impact on ordinary people,” said Derta.
Derta believes that this problem is not just a matter of insufficient socialisation, as stated by Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf.
He suspects that this data update mechanism is not effective enough if it is not accompanied by field verification.
“The Ministry of Social Affairs together with the BPS (Statistics Indonesia) are currently conducting ground checks or field verification. The first phase focuses on 106,153 patients with catastrophic/chronic diseases and is targeted to be completed by 14 March 2026. The second phase will target the 11 million participants who were deactivated after Eid. This is a good step, but for patients who need dialysis twice a week, waiting for verification is not an option. They could die,” said Derta.