"This allocation is in line with the President's commitment," Sadewa said after a meeting with BPJS Kesehatan on Wednesday.
However, the minister reminded BPJS Kesehatan to improve their governance, to prevent budgeting issues in the future, one of which is by reviewing regulations and revising outdated ones.
For example, there is a regulation by the Health Ministry that requires hospitals to maintain a certain number of ventilators. Sadewa said that the policy should have been revised, since the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.
"The hospitals had already purchased them, so every patient was directed to use those machines, which caused BPJS claims to surge. I therefore asked them to prioritize: what equipment must be bought and what does not need to be bought,” he explained.
He reminded BPJS Kesehatan to involve health experts in such evaluations to ensure that revised regulations still guarantee proper healthcare services.
The minister also urged the agency to optimize its information and technology system. Sadewa disclosed that BPJS Kesehatan employs around 200 people in its IT department.
“That is practically a computer company in itself, a very large one. I told them to make it more efficient by integrating all IT systems across Indonesia and utilizing AI,” he remarked.
He is confident that the technology integration can effectively identify healthcare issues, such as difficulty in insurance claims.
"Well, I expected that within six months, (the IT integration) is working. They said they can do it. If successful, our social security agency could become the largest, best hospital IT system in the world," he said
He ensures that there's no sanction that will be imposed if the agency cannot meet the expectations. However, he still hopes that BPJS Kesehatan can pursue improvements, given the agency's vital role in saving many lives.
He remarked, "I have seen that many underprivileged people can undergo expensive surgeries. I was so surprised to hear it. If it is for good, we proceed with it. Why not?"
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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Arie Novarina
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