Disbursement Of The 2020 Health Care Incentive Is Late, Sri Mulyani's Reason: The Minister Of Health Changes The Payment Scheme

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Finance has paid arrears of incentives for health workers for handling COVID-19 last year reaching Rp1.34 trillion until June 11, 2021. This figure is equivalent to 90.8 percent of the ceiling. However, the government found that there were still arrears of health incentives that had not been paid.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that of the additional health care budget of around Rp. 4.6 trillion in 2020, the government has almost realized 100 percent. There is only a small amount that has not been disbursed.

Furthermore, Sri emphasized that the length of time for the realization of the payment of arrears in 2020 was not caused by the availability of the budget. According to him, the problem is that the Minister of Health changes the incentive payment scheme directly to health workers, resulting in delays because data inventory is needed

"It's more about governance and how to create accountability for data base accuracy from health workers and health facilities," he said in a virtual press conference, Friday, July 2.

Sri Mulyani explained that the government had paid arrears of health workers incentives of Rp1.34 trillion until June 11, 2021. This value was distributed to 200,506 health workers and 1,607 health facilities.

"The final claim payment arrears is still in the process of being reviewed by the Ministry of Health's APIP," he said.

The government, Sri continued, had paid health workers incentives of Rp. 4.65 trillion and death compensation of Rp. 58.8 billion last year. Meanwhile, for 2021, the government has paid health workers incentives of Rp. 2.665 trillion from a ceiling of Rp. 3.8 trillion and death compensation of Rp. 49.8 billion from a ceiling of Rp. 60 billion.

"The health worker incentive payment in 2021 is IDR 2.6 trillion for 323.46 health workers and 6,198 health facilities," he said.

Sri Mulyani explained, the incentives are paid for health workers who are under the responsibility of the center or the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, for health workers who are under the responsibility of the regional government, according to Sri, the incentive payments are made by the regional government using the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget allocation.

"The APBD comes from financial transfers from the center in the form of the General Allocation Fund (DAU) or Revenue Sharing Fund (DBH) which we asked for from the beginning to be secured for handling COVID-19," he said.

Sri Mulyani admitted that she had asked the regions to allocate a minimum of 8 percent of the DAU and DBH for handling COVID-19, including incentives for health workers.

Thus, there is an allocation of Rp8.15 trillion available in the provincial APBD of Rp1.44 trillion and district/city Rp6.71 trillion.

"But the realization has only reached Rp. 650 billion," he explained.