We highly hope regional governments will comply with the existing rules and not make rules themselves.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has urged regional governments to comply with the health minister’s decision on provision of incentives to medical workers involved in COVID-19 handling.

"Regional governments must refer to the ministerial decision that has received a seal of approval from the Finance Ministry," acting chief of the ministry’s human resources development and empowerment board, Kirana Pritasari, said at an online press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

The incentives are stipulated in the Health Minister’s Decision No. HK.01.07/MENKES/4239/2021 concerning incentives and death compensations for COVID-19 handling medical workers.

"We highly hope regional governments will comply with the existing rules and not make rules themselves,” she said.

The ministerial decision governs, among others, the amount of incentives adjusted to healthcare workers’ risk of being exposed to COVID-19, she informed.

“The incentives will not be given without consideration. Normally, the incentives for specialists amount to Rp15 million, general practitioners Rp10 million per month, and so on,” she said.

The government has so far disbursed Rp3.796 trillion in incentives for regional healthcare workers, she disclosed. The figure represents 41.3 percent of the ceiling of Rp9.184 trillion for all provinces in the country, she said.

The quantum of incentive payments has risen sharply compared to June 4, 2021, when the payment of incentives to healthcare workers stood at 3.83 percent of the ceiling, she noted.

Related news: Minister reprimands 10 regional heads over health workers' incentives

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian had earlier reprimanded 10 regional heads for not disbursing incentives to health workers in their respective regions.

In a statement sent via electronic message here on Tuesday, the minister’s special staff, Kastorius Sinaga, said the disbursal of regional health workers' incentives has been one of the minister’s main focuses in monitoring the regional budget (APBD) spending realization.

"The 2021 APBD refocusing policy has stipulated that 8 percent of the general allocation funds and revenue sharing funds for the 2021 fiscal year are intended for the handling of COVID-19, comprising incentives payment to regional health workers," he informed.

Karnavian signed a warning letter addressed to 10 regional heads on August 30, 2020, in which he urged them to immediately pay the incentives.

The letter was addressed to the heads of Bandar Lampung city, Gianyar district, Langsa city, Madiun district, Nabire district, Padang city, Paser district, Penajam Paser Utara district, Pontianak city, and Prabumulih city, Sinaga said.

If the regional governments have not refocused their budget to pay the incentives, they may change their regional head regulation by announcing the plan to the members of the Regional Legislative Bodies to avoid delay in payments, he added.

Related news: Govt disburses Rp51.97 trillion in tax incentives as of mid-August









Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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