REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo said that he will force all hospitals to provide services to patients holding Indonesia Health Cards (KIS).
"I will force all hospitals to receive patients with KIS, who are part of the Social Insurance Management Agency in the heath sector (BPJS Kesehatan). These people must be given priority," the president stated while distributing the cards to workers of shipyard firm PT Dok and Perkapalan Koja Bahari Jakarta here on Tuesday (28/4).
Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, urged the BPJS Kesehatan to report to him hospitals that reject its patients.
"Just give me the list (of hospitals that reject these patients), and I will summon them one by one. Hospital should not seek to earn profit only," he remarked.
BPJS patients pay the costs incurred for treatment at hospitals using contributions or funds from the state budget, he added.
Moreover, the president gave his assurance that this week onwards, the government will begin to distribute KIS and Indonesia Smart Cards (KIP) till the end of the year.
"As many as 88.2 million KIS and 20.3 million KIP will be distributed till the end of this year," Jokowi affirmed.
He further noted that the distribution of the cards could be stared only now because the revised 2015 state budget was agreed upon by the parliament only in January 2015.
With regard to several parties' rejection of the program, Jokowi pointed out that such a reaction was normal in the early phase of a project, and that it would be accepted after six months.
During the dialog with workers of PT Dok, he also asked people to maintain their health by following a good diet and exercising regularly.
In addition, Director of the BPJS Kesehatan Fachmi Idris said that all KIS holders can be admitted in any hospital for emergency cases.
"If a hospital refuses a patient in an emergency case, the matter could be taken to court," he cautioned.
Regarding hospitals that have cooperated with the BPJS Kesehatan, he stated that their numbers have reached 600 of the 2,500 hospitals in Indonesia.
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