"As long as it is medically indicated, BPJS Kesehatan covers the treatment cost of patients with diseases that are still considered to be mysterious," he said here on Thursday.
BPJS members who suffer from unidentified diseases must opt for treatment procedures that are in accordance with BPJS Kesehatan's mechanism, he added.
This includes visiting the local public health center (puskesmas) and asking for a referral letter, if a hospital visit is needed.
"Emergency patients do not need referral letters and can ask for ambulance's help, if necessary," he said.
As long as the procedure laid by BPJS Kesehatan is followed, members have the right to have their treatment costs covered by the government until they recover, he informed.
According to the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI), there has been an increase in the number of cases of mysterious acute kidney disorder in the past two months since January 2022.
There has been a spike in cases with more than 100 children suffering from the disorder, whose cause has not been identified.
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Secretary of the nephrology coordination work unit (UKK) of IDAI, Eka Laksmi Hidayati, noted that there are 14 provinces that have reported cases of mysterious acute kidney disorder so far.
The provinces comprise Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Bali, East Kalimantan, Aceh, Jambi, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara.
The disorder is generally seen in infants and children under five and eight.
Further, the Health Ministry has detected a total of 91 acute hepatitis cases with unknown causes in patients under the age of 16 years in 22 provinces as of September 16, 2022.
"There are 11 people who died, or 26 percent, and 22 people, or 52.3 percent, who recovered," the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, informed.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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