Social Minister Has Data on Hospitals Rejecting Dialysis Patients
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf has stated that he has received data on which hospitals are refusing dialysis patients who are participants in the BPJS Kesehatan PBI programme. The man known as Gus Ipul will study the data on these hospitals with the Ministry of Health and BPJS Kesehatan.
“We hope that if there is indeed proven violation, then that health facility or hospital can be given sanctions in accordance with statutory provisions,” said Gus Ipul at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, 31 March 2026.
Gus Ipul emphasised that hospitals and health facilities must not refuse patients who need emergency treatment, for example, dialysis patients. He said that hospitals that refuse are usually worried about who will pay for the patient’s treatment.
Hospitals are refusing dialysis patients whose PBI BPJS Kesehatan membership was suddenly deactivated on 1 February 2026. Hospitals are suspected of being concerned about the lack of payment guarantees from BPJS Kesehatan due to this deactivation.
The General Chairman of the Indonesian Dialysis Patient Community (KPCDI), Tony Richard Samosir, said that the number of kidney failure patients is 200,000, with 136,000 active dialysis patients.
“Dialysis patients are vulnerable to poverty because they have to undergo dialysis two to three times a week for the rest of their lives,” said Tony.
Tony explained that dialysis patients have to incur large costs and will never recover for the rest of their lives. Therefore, he hopes that no more hospitals will refuse dialysis patients because it concerns patient safety.
Moreover, said Tony, the Health Law No. 17 of 2023 mandates that hospitals must not refuse patients and must treat them first. “Especially these dialysis patients, which are life-sustaining in nature and must be treated. If they do not receive dialysis therapy, they will experience death or a more severe deterioration,” stated Tony.
Tony said he has submitted data on hospitals refusing dialysis patients to the Social Minister. Although he did not detail the specific number and names, Tony said these hospitals are spread across various provinces from DKI Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Central Java, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sumatra, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
“West Java and Central Java have the most because the dialysis units are indeed the most numerous there,” said Tony.
Tony revealed that private hospitals are the ones most frequently refusing because 70 percent of the total 1,200 dialysis units are in private hospitals. However, Tony said that government hospitals also refuse dialysis patients. “There are central government hospitals. Those belonging to the Ministry of Health.”