BPJS Health Tekor Rp2 Triliun per Month, DPR: PBI Data Must Be Accurate

Member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives Irma Suryani Chaniago highlighted the financial condition of BPJS Kesehatan which is said to have a deficit of up to Rp. 2 trillion per month and has the potential to pose a risk to the sustainability of financing for national health services.

He assessed that the government through the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration needed to evaluate the accuracy of the data of participants in the Contribution Assistance (PBI) so that the contribution assistance could be targeted.

"People have paid dues and carried out the principle of mutual cooperation in the health insurance system. According to the constitutional mandate, the poor are indeed the responsibility of the state. Therefore, the data of PBI recipients must be absolutely accurate," he told reporters, Wednesday, June 10.

Irma also highlighted the desil-based welfare policy which he said had an impact on a number of poor people who had lost their status of assistance. He assessed that this condition had the potential to cause serious problems, especially for poor people who suffer from catastrophic diseases and need long-term treatment.

"I feel sorry for poor people who have catastrophic diseases if their membership is disabled. They are very dependent on health insurance to get treatment services," he said.

In addition to improving the data of recipients of assistance, Irma also encourages the government to seek additional funding sources to strengthen the financing of BPJS Kesehatan. One option that can be considered is the use of a portion of the budget derived from tobacco tax revenue.

According to Irma, funds from cigarette taxes can be optimized to help maintain the sustainability of the national health insurance program while ensuring that the less fortunate people still have access to decent health services.

"I hope the government will immediately conduct a thorough evaluation of the mechanism for data collection on fee recipients so that no poor people lose their right to health protection due to administrative errors or data inaccuracies," concluded the NasDem legislator.