The Minister of Health has not decided on sanctions for Nakes who are suspected of commenting on BPJS patients.

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed that the government was still investigating the alleged comments of not empathizing or nirempati which were made by a number of health workers (nakes) to a BPJS Health participant who later died. The government has not decided on sanctions and will wait for the results of the investigation before taking further steps.

This case came to light after the upload of a BPJS Health participant named Yurizal Tri Chaerawan went viral on social media. In the upload, he admitted that he had been waiting for an inpatient room for about eight hours.

The post then triggered various comments from a number of accounts allegedly belonging to health workers, some of which were considered cynical and did not show empathy. Later, Yurizal was reported to have died, triggering widespread scrutiny of the ethics of health worker communication.

Responding to this, Budi said that every decision regarding alleged violations of ethics and professional discipline must be based on the results of an objective investigation.

"Later we will see what the results are like. It's good to check first what the problem is like," said Budi at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, August 6.

Budi admitted that he was concerned about the alleged actions of nirempati. He emphasized that health workers and other professions that provide services to the public must prioritize empathy in carrying out their duties.

According to him, the quality of health services is not only determined by medical ability, but also by concern and attitude towards patients.

"Health workers and professionals who serve the community must have good empathy. We pity the community if we treat them like that," he said.

Regarding the follow-up to the case, Budi said the Ministry of Health had asked the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) to verify the status of the parties suspected of being involved.

The examination was carried out to determine whether the person concerned was still a medical student, a participant in professional education, or had become an active health worker.

The results of the verification, continued Budi, will be one of the government's bases in determining the next steps, including the possibility of sanctions if violations are found in accordance with applicable regulations.

"We will check whether the person concerned is an employee or still a student. One of them is still a student. Now the IDI team has asked me to go down to audit, it should be in this week there will be results," he explained.

Previously, the Indonesian Health Council (KKI) revealed that it had identified 10 health workers and medical personnel who were suspected of making comments that did not empathize with the deceased JKN participants on social media.

Member of the KKI Leadership, dr Mohammad Syahril, said the investigation was carried out together with professional organizations, educational institutions, health service facilities, and local governments.

According to Syahril, the examination aims to determine whether there is or not a violation of ethics, professional discipline, or applicable legal provisions.

KKI also said that the number of health workers who were examined was still potentially increasing as the investigation process progressed.

The results of the KKI investigation and the audit conducted by IDI will later become the basis for the Ministry of Health in determining the next steps, including the possibility of sanctions against health workers who are proven to have violated the code of ethics and professional rules.