Sri Mulyani Reveals Medical Personnel Incentive Budget Comes From DAK

JAKARTA - The government has prepared incentives for doctors, nurses and medical personnel involved in handling corona virus or COVID-19 patients. This incentive is given in order to reward people at the forefront of fighting the virus that has been designated as a global pandemic.

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati revealed where the source of funds will be used for incentives for all medical personnel who treat COVID-19 patients. President Joko Widodo has also agreed to this.

Sri Mulyani said that the budget used came from a special allocation fund (DAK) for health operational costs and DAK given to the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD). He admitted that this had been conveyed to Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto.

"So that it is implemented and the budget is carried out based on burden sharing, including using DAK health from the health operational costs of the DAK in the APBD post," he said in a video conference, in Jakarta, Tuesday, March 24.

According to Sri Mulyani, this incentive is specifically given for the next three months for medical personnel working in hospitals that handle COVID-19. Especially hospitals that have been designated by the government as referral hospitals.

The central government, said Sri Mulyani, will also encourage local governments (Pemda) to jointly reallocate budgets to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

For your information, previously President Jokowi said that specialist doctors would receive an incentive of IDR 15 million per month. Meanwhile, general practitioners and dentists receive Rp. 10 million per month. Meanwhile, midwives and nurses will get additional money of IDR 7.5 million per month. Other medical personnel receive IDR 5 million per month.

In addition, the government will provide death benefits of Rp. 300 million for medical personnel who died while handling COVID-19 patients. Incentives will be provided for areas that declare a COVID-19 emergency response status.

The former Managing Director of the World Bank hopes that the provisions decided by the government can be implemented properly, not only incentives but also compensation for medical personnel who fail.

"Of course we will see the ability of local governments to be able to carry out this and later we will take steps to ensure that incentives can be implemented properly," he explained.