With BPJS Kesehatan providing coverage for coronavirus patient’s hospital costs, the number of claims to the agency have increased, president director of Mataram City's Public Hospital, Dr. Lalu Herman Mahaputra, told journalists here.
However, the claims are yet to be paid because the data is still in the process of being collected, he said. The authorities at the Mataram City Public Hospital are yet to determine the total amount COVID-19 patients have paid as hospitalization fees, he added.
"The hospitalization fees of a patient contracting the new coronavirus disease until he or she fully recovers may reach tens of millions of rupiah. We have yet to calculate the total amount," he continued.
Mahaputra denied a report that the total cost of hospitalization for COVID-19 patients until they fully recover from the deadly disease could reach Rp148 million (US$1=Rp14,910).
"The total medical expenses will not be as much as that, except (if) the patient also suffers (from) other ailments," said Mahaputra, who is also a member of Mataram City's COVID-19 Task Force.
On March 24 this year, Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy had announced that the hospitalization charges of COVID-19 patients would be covered by the country's national health insurance provider, BPJS Kesehatan.
As of 8 p.m. local time on Monday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city has been recorded at 129. Thirty-four of the total patients have been discharged from hospitals post recovery, while three others have died.
The city has also registered 295 asymptomatic patients; and placed 196 patients under surveillance status; and, 43 people under monitoring status, Mahaputra added.
The coronavirus outbreak initially struck the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, and later spread to various parts of the world, including countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Indonesian government officially announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2 this year.
Since then, the central and regional governments nationwide have striven persistently to flatten the coronavirus curve by implementing healthcare protocols and social restrictions.
To break the chain of the novel coronavirus disease that has impacted the purchasing power of scores of families in Indonesia, large-scale social restrictions have been applied in several cities, including Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.
The central government has also banned homebound travel, locally known as ‘mudik’, during the fasting month of Ramadhan and the Idul Fitri holiday season. (INE)
Related news: Jokowi confirms Rp115-trillion government spending on BPJS health
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Nirkomala, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
