Bills For COVID Patients At The Riau Islands Hospital Of IDR 25 Billion, Governor Ansar Ahmad Urges The Ministry Of Health To Pay Off Immediately

KEPRI - Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad urged the Ministry of Health to pay off the cost of handling COVID-19 patients at the Raja Ahmad Thabib Hospital (RSUP Kepri) in Tanjungpinang.

"We have conveyed to the Ministry of Health to immediately pay the cost of treating COVID-19 patients at the Riau Islands Hospital. We hope it will be realized soon," said Ansar in Tanjungpinang, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, July 28.

Ansar explained that the Ministry of Health from November 2020 to May 2021 had not paid off bills originating from the cost of treating COVID-19 patients. The value of the bill reached Rp. 25 billion.

The funds from the BPJS claim will also be used together with other budgets for the procurement of medicines for general patients and COVID-19 patients.

"If it is not paid immediately, it is feared that it will interfere with the handling of COVID-19 patients, because the budget in Riau Islands is also limited," he said.

He said the Riau Islands Hospital was one of the referral hospitals for COVID-19 patients. All COVID-19 patients are free of charge while being treated at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the hospital must bear the costs incurred to treat COVID-19 patients before the Ministry of Health disburses claims against the cost of patient care.

"We have not received any information about the Ministry of Health's obstacles in disbursing claims for the cost of treating COVID-19 patients," he said.