The transformation, which is being implemented by us, will have a tremendous impact on helping those who are suffering from these catastrophic diseases.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry is committed to ensuring equal distribution of referral services to enable health service access for patients suffering from four catastrophic diseases—stroke, cancer, heart, and kidney disease.

“We expect that in the future, there will be (at least) a primary-level hospital in every province of Indonesia,” Acting Director of Referral Health Services at the ministry Yanti Herman said here on Wednesday.

The policy is being pursued by the ministry to bring health services closer to the community by providing support through hospital networks in the country, she added.

“For instance, for uro-nephrology, we have appointed Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) as a support center for uro-nephrology. Later, RSCM will coordinate with its networking hospitals,” the acting director said.

Thus, it is expected that later, the uro-nephrology service can be provided by at least one primary-level hospital in every province as well as by at least one intermediate-level hospital in each of the 514 districts/cities across Indonesia, she added.

Meanwhile, daily executive head of the Health Financing and Decentralization Policy Center of the Health Ministry, Doni Arianto, informed that the optimization of national hospital networks will be conducted until 2027.

The center is targeting to ensure that there will be at least one primary-level hospital in every province and at least one intermediate-level hospital in all districts/cities in Indonesia.

Equal distribution of health referral services in all districts/cities is targeted to be realized by 50 percent in 2025 and 100 percent before 2028.

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“One of the obstacles (to implementing referral health services) is how we can have equal (health) access. All participants pay the same amount for (the social insurance program run by state-owned Healthcare and Social Security Agency) BPJS Kesehatan, however people in various regions do not have the same (easy health) access as those who live in Jakarta, for instance," Arianto noted.

He said that his party believes that the transformation of the health system, which is being pursued by the ministry, will allow patients suffering from catastrophic diseases to get adequate treatment.

It is estimated that by implementing the health system transformation, around 500 thousand stroke patients, 450 thousand cancer patients, 300 thousand heart patients, and 130 thousand patients with end-stage kidney disease can be treated well, he added.

Still, Arianto emphasized that his party hopes that the number of patients with catastrophic diseases will not increase. Hence, it is continuously striving to carry out preventive measures.

"The transformation, which is being implemented by us, will have a tremendous impact on helping those who are suffering from these catastrophic diseases," he remarked.

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Translator: Rizka Khaerunnisa, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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