The program will be realized soon because it has been included in the Draft Government Regulation on Health, director of productive age and elderly health at the Ministry of Health, Nida Rohmawati, said in Jakarta on Thursday.
The draft regulation is targeted to be approved this year.
She noted that similar services are being provided in neighboring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
According to Rohmawati, the services are urgently needed considering that Indonesian society is starting to age, and not all families at home can provide medical assistance to older adults.
"Maybe the parents have just returned from the hospital, need assistance equipment such as a ventilator, or need to inject certain medicines, but those at home may not be able to do that," she explained.
She emphasized that the step is also an effort by the government to ensure the rights of older adults.
According to her, nursing home services will be implemented based on the reality of each family.
"We need to see the context. If the older adult can contribute, be active, and be part or subject of the community, the family can take care of them, then they can be cared for at home. However, if they need treatment, we cannot just ignore it," she explained.
To this end, she expressed the hope that the draft regulation will be approved soon so that the program can be implemented immediately.
Currently, the Draft Government Regulation on Health has been submitted to the State Secretariat Ministry for the President's approval.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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