3 Months Health Care Incentive Rp1.8 Billion In 10 Sorong Health Centers Not Disbursed, Health Office: Not Accidentally, Mechanism Constraints

SORONG - The Health Office (Dinkes) of Sorong City, West Papua Province is processing the payment of arrears for health worker incentives from October-December 2020 at 10 health centers that handle COVID-19 patients.

The Head of the Sub-Section of Finance and Assets of the Sorong City Health Office, Jemima, said that the delay in the payment of health workers incentives was not intentional but was hampered by the mechanism. In addition, the Health Office is waiting for an additional budget for health operational assistance from the center.

The total arrears in payments for health workers for the last three months in 2020 amounted to Rp1.8 billion. According to Jemima, the budget is already available but the Health Office is verifying the Puskesmas administration files for payment.

Health centers are required to complete work documents. Then the work documents will be verified whether they are in accordance with the new technical guidelines and have been paid.

"This mechanism is carried out so that administrative order and payments are actually carried out according to technical instructions from the Ministry of Health," he said in Sorong, Antara, Friday, August 20.

As of Friday, four out of ten puskesmas in the city of Sorong have submitted work documents for health workers in handling COVID-19.

"We are waiting for all puskesmas to submit working documents and then the budget is disbursed directly into their respective accounts," he said.

The Sorong City Health Office only pays for the health workers of the Puskesmas and the Department of Health who are handling COVID-19. Meanwhile, the health workers at Sele be Solu Hospital are the responsibility of the hospital.

"We ask that health workers be patient because their rights will definitely be paid, it is impossible for the government to turn a blind eye," he added.