Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government will launch health security program to cover all Indonesians and expatriates after working in the country for at least six months.

The program called National Health Security (JKN) will be managed by a Social Security Operating Agency (BPJS) to be launched in January next year, Supriyantoro, the secretary general of the health ministry, said here on Thursday.

"All Indonesians are required to be JKN members by paying contribution to BPJS," Supriyantoro added.

Supriyantoro said the program will cover all diseases.

"Therefore, cost of medical treatment would no longer make people holding the JKN membership poorer," he said.

He said poor people will received assistance from the government, which will pay their contribution to BPJS.

The assistance for the poor will be arranged with a government regulation, he said.

"This is system is in principle to create mutual cooperation with the haves helping the have-not," he said .

He said by 2019 at the latest all Indonesians will be members of the BPJS .(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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