MPR Deputy Speaker Urges Inclusive Disability-Friendly Public Services

Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat (Rerie) has stressed the importance of providing more inclusive public services, in anticipation of a projected rise in the number of persons with disabilities in the future.

“Anticipatory measures are urgently needed to deliver more inclusive public services in the health, transport and other public facility sectors, in the face of an expected increase in the number of persons with disabilities,” Rerie said in a written statement on Tuesday (24/2/2026).

Data from the National Socio-Economic Single Data Registry (DTSEN) for August 2025 recorded approximately 15.2 million Indonesians as persons with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) showed that more than one million children aged 5 to 17 live with disabilities, with the largest proportion being intellectual and mental disabilities.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health noted that life expectancy in Indonesia currently stands at 73 to 74 years, yet healthy life expectancy remains approximately 11 to 12 years below that figure.

This means a significant number of people spend their elderly years in declining health, with the potential to develop disabilities.

“These figures must be taken seriously by all relevant parties in order to prepare concrete steps towards ensuring public services that are accessible to persons with disabilities,” Rerie explained.

Rerie argued that preparing more inclusive public services in the country involves numerous stakeholders, making it essential to build strong collaboration between relevant parties from an early stage.

As an example, Rerie noted that according to Ministry of Health records, as of 2025, only around 4.4 per cent of the more than 10,300 community health centres (Puskesmas) across Indonesia are disability-friendly.

Rerie expressed her hope that stakeholders at both central and regional levels share the same commitment to providing public services that are easily accessible to every citizen, including persons with disabilities.

“I urge that more inclusive public services be realised as soon as possible, so that every child of the nation receives quality public services, in order to produce a healthy and competitive future generation,” she concluded.