Ombudsman member Robert Na Endi Jaweng said the government needed to optimize internal improvements before imposing BPJS Health membership as a condition for accessing public services. This is in accordance with Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2022 concerning Optimizing the Implementation of the National Health Insurance Program.
The Ombudsman noted a number of unfinished government homework, including ensuring the budget for contribution assistance recipients (PBI) and verifying the National Health Insurance membership data. However, based on the Ombudsman’s monitoring, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs has imposed BPJS Health membership requirements in the registration and transfer of land rights.
“So make sure first, internal government. Socialization is massive yet, synergy, education and so on, both internally by the government and companies that are required to register or pay dues,” explained Endi Jaweng online, Friday (11/3/2022).
Endi Jaweng reminded that public service is a constitutional right of citizens and has been regulated in Law Number 25 of 2009 concerning Public Services. Because of that, he said, a law-level regulation or at least a government regulation is needed if there are additional requirements for BPJS membership.
He is concerned that the requirements for access to public services will create new requirements as a discretion of the central government and local governments if they are not carried out in accordance with the procedures for establishing public policies.
“There could be ministers or regional heads who make their products as a condition of public service. This will burden the community even more,” he added.
Assistant Deputy for Coordination of Implementation, Policy, and Evaluation of Region II Public Services at the PANRB Ministry Jeffrey Erlan Muller received input from the Ombudsman. He said the principle of public service can be done quickly, easily, cheaply, and simply. Therefore, he agrees with the Ombudsman that it is necessary to re-discuss the BPJS membership requirements in accessing public services.
“The idea is good, but we saw it too quickly. There should be good communication between the government and the government’s internal and external stakeholders,” explained Erlan Muller.
Erlan believes that BPJS membership requirements should not be used for all access to public services. However, for certain things such as health services.
Previously, the government issued Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2022 concerning Optimizing the Implementation of the National Health Insurance Program. One of the reasons behind the issuance of this Presidential Instruction is the target of participating in the JKN-Healthy Indonesia Card launched by the government in the 2019-2024 RPJMN, which is 98 percent of the Indonesian population. Meanwhile, the number of JKN participants as of January 31, 2022 is 236,279,275 people or 86.27 percent. This means that there are still 37,600,475 people or 13.73 percent of the population who have not become JKN participants. [sm/ab]