"As long as the regulations have not been revoked, the provision will still apply," Head of the ministry's Communication and Public Services Bureau Siti Nadia Tarmizi informed in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The rules for financing COVID-19 patients in Indonesia are still regulated by the Decree of the Minister of Health Number HK.01.07/Menkes/1112/2022 concerning technical guidelines for reimbursement claims for COVID-19 patient services expenses, which was issued on April 7, 2022.
As of now, the government is still evaluating the treatment cost of COVID-19 patients, as the provisions for the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM) have been revoked.
Later, the mechanism for covering COVID-19 patients' bills will be made the same as that for other diseases in general, Tarmizi said.
"In the future, COVID-19 financing will be similar to other diseases. If it is included in a disaster, it could be referred to the Disaster and Epidemic Law," she added.
However, if a patient has obtained private insurance protection, the financing mechanism will be carried out independently.
"If the patient has insurance, they can use it," she disclosed.
Separately, the president director of the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), Ali Ghufron Mukti, informed that until now, his agency is still evaluating the financing mechanism for COVID-19 patients.
"If the government declared COVID-19 as endemic, BPJS Kesehatan will cover it. The payment will use Ina-CBGs based on the diagnosis group," he said.
On December 30, 2022, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the plan to change the financing mechanism for COVID-19 patients is part of the transition from the pandemic to the endemic phase.
The plan is also based on the government's decision to end the PPKM policy, which was enforced to control COVID-19 transmission in Indonesia.
The revocation of the PPKM policy means that there will be no more restrictions on public activities and mobility, he noted.
Nevertheless, the government has not lifted the health emergency status as the pandemic has not completely ended.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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