Social Affairs Minister Assures PBI-JK Budget Not Diverted to MBG Programme
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has assured that the budget for Penerima Bantuan Iuran Jaminan Kesehatan (PBI-JK) will not be diverted to the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme. The man familiarly known as Gus Ipul emphasised that the PBI-JK budget has been set without any cuts.
According to him, out of 11 million PBI-JK participants who were previously deactivated, 2.1 million have been reactivated. Of that number, around 1.4 million participants will be taken over by local governments. Meanwhile, the central government is still opening opportunities for reactivation for other deactivated participants.
“So for every deactivation, we follow up with opportunities for reactivation. So anyone who has been deactivated can lodge an objection and also apply for reactivation,” said Gus Ipul while attending the 2026 NTB Provincial Musrenbang in Mataram on Thursday (16/4/2026).
Saifullah explained that PBI-JK reactivation can be done through sub-districts, villages, or Social Affairs Offices in each region, including in NTB. In addition, the public can also apply for reactivation through applications or the complaint channels that have been provided.
“For example, it can be through our command centre or our WA Centre at 088-7171-1730. So we open as many channels as possible so that people who feel aggrieved by the deactivation can lodge an objection and thus reactivate quickly,” he said.
Currently, the government is also strengthening reactivation services at health facilities and hospitals by involving BPJS officers. He detailed that out of 11 million deactivated participants, 2.1 million have been reactivated. From that figure, around 300,000 have been returned to the PBI-JK scheme.
“Now the rest, 1.4 million, are taken over by local governments, some have moved to the independent segment. And finally, they were indeed deactivated because they became part of civil servants or BUMN employees, or perhaps members of the TNI-Polri,” he said.
He emphasised that deactivation is carried out to redirect aid to those who are more deserving.
“So if in Lombok, for example, we deactivate 100 beneficiaries, we redirect them to 100 beneficiaries in the same district,” he said.
Gus Ipul assured that the PBI-JK budget is not being diverted to the MBG programme. According to him, the allocation of beneficiaries is determined annually on a national basis.
“So it’s not being diverted to the MBG programme. Because this is based on allocation. The allocation each year is 96.8 million beneficiaries throughout Indonesia, divided among districts/cities across Indonesia. So the allocation is already set,” he stated.
He added that the determination of the PBI-JK quota is based on the poverty rate percentage in each region. That quota does not change, but the recipients can be adjusted to be more on target.
“So the quota doesn’t change. For example, East Lombok Regency’s quota is 100,000, it remains 100,000. But sometimes because of deactivations, it’s redirected to residents in the same area who are considered more deserving to ensure it’s on target,” he stressed.
Gus Ipul also assured that the PBI-JK budget allocation has been set in the state budget (APBN). Local governments, he continued, usually add to the coverage through the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme.
“So the rest is usually paid by the district/city or also assistance from the province. So it’s quite clear in my opinion. So this is understood as part of efforts to ensure social assistance is on target,” he concluded.