Sri Mulyani's Subordinates Ensure That The Ministry Of Finance Has Paid The Rp25.45 Trillion COVID-19 Treatment Claim

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - Budget Director for Human Development and Culture of the Directorate General of Budget Ministry of Finance Purwanto ensured that the government had paid claims for COVID-19 treatment of Rp25.45 trillion until the end of July 2021. Payment of these claims included arrears for bills from hospitals in 2020 which amounted to Rp8, 16 trillion.

"Hospitals that have not been available may include those that are still in dispute because they must be checked by BPJS (Social Security Administering Agency) and BPKP (Financial and Development Supervisory Agency)," said Purwanto in a webinar on Public Information Disclosure, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, August 4.

He said hospital protests regarding payment of COVID-19 treatment claims were decreasing. It is hoped that entering the second semester of 2021, claim payments will be smoother and remain accountable

In addition to paying for hospital claims, on this occasion, Purwanto also highlighted the low payment of bills by local governments through Transfers to Regions and Village Funds (TKDD). For this, he said the government would intercept or make payments with central government money first.

"Because local governments are slow to pay incentives for health workers or vaccine officers, for example, the central government first helps the regions to intervene with the central government's money first," he said.

Purwanto assured that the funds for handling COVID-19 were distributed evenly to each region. If the government seems to be accelerating the distribution of funds for handling COVID-19 to the Java and Bali regions, according to him, it is because these two regions have a large population and are included in the red zone.

"But we also don't turn a blind eye, if the case is very serious in an area, we will check it, we'll see. If he is late (to handle), we go first with the intercept policy," he added.

In addition, the handling in these two areas is recognized to be faster because there are no problems with transportation or information networks.

"Every day we monitor its progress. And indeed, the areas that are still red, densely populated, because it is like Jakarta is the center of the economy, culture, and so on, but that does not mean that others are abandoned," added Purwanto.