Viral Tabanan Regional Hospital Running Short of Medicines, Management Responds

Reports of medicine shortages for patients at Tabanan Regional General Hospital (RSUD Tabanan) circulated widely on social media following a voice note in which a senior doctor claimed the hospital’s drug stock had been depleted.

The hospital’s management responded to address the issue, asserting that medicine availability at the facility remained secure.

“To prevent wild rumours circulating among the public, we clarify that the medicines mentioned as depleted in the voice note are supplementary medicines, not emergency medicines. Other medicines, particularly emergency or patient health support medications, are still available,” stated Tabanan Regional Hospital Director I Gede Sudiarta during an interview on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.

Sudiarta explained that the limited supply of medicines resulted from incomplete BPJS health insurance claim administration processes. The hospital used BPJS claim funds for operational expenses, including medicine purchases and healthcare service payments.

“BPJS claims cannot be processed because of the system transition from manual to digital, which requires considerable time. Meanwhile, Tabanan Regional Hospital covers 95 per cent of patients using BPJS,” Sudiarta stated.

Management also disclosed that accumulated drug debts as of 31 December 2025 exceeded 36 billion rupiah since BPJS implementation. Specifically, drug debts amounted to more than 19 billion rupiah, whilst consumable medical supplies (BMHP) reached more than 16 billion rupiah.

By December 2025, medicine inventory was recorded at more than 8 billion rupiah, whilst consumable medical supplies stood at 895 million rupiah.

Deputy Operational Director of Tabanan Regional Hospital, Ni Wayan Primayani, added that the system transition from manual to digital claims processing meant numerous claim documents still required completion.

“Currently, there are approximately 8,000 to 9,000 claim files that still need data completion from manual to digital. Consequently, many claims remain pending completion. Average monthly claims total approximately 7 billion rupiah,” Primayani stated.

She likened the situation to a scenario where unexpended claims meant no funding was available; consequently, budgets for medicine purchases and service payment compensation became depleted.

“We are attempting to manage the situation by purchasing slightly lower-quality medicines than we normally provide. What matters most is delivering the public health services we are obligated to provide,” she concluded.