Jakarta – The Health Law was passed on July 11, 2023 by the Indonesian Parliament. This law is the latest innovation, made to improve the health system in Indonesia. After the Health Law is enacted, health regulations will be more orderly and will benefit both patients and health workers.
The government made the Health Law for the sake of the people, and its main goal is to improve the health system. With a systematic and effective system it will be beneficial, both for health workers (Nakes) and for the community. An improved system will minimize malpractice and errors during treatment.
The Health Act has been passed into law. All parties were involved in the discussion, from the government to health workers. This law is guaranteed to protect everyone, both doctors, nurses, to patients.
The Health Law is a recent innovation, and its main goal is to improve the health system in Indonesia. The Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, stated that the recently passed Health Law was the government’s attempt to take a drastic leap to improve the national health system. There are two main priorities that the government wants to achieve, one of which is increasing access to and quality of health services for the community.
Minister Budi Gunadi continued, the government wants to take a drastic leap to learn from experience, because yesterday’s handling of Covid-19 was very bad. Not only in Indonesia, but also throughout the world. So the whole world realizes that there must be significant changes in the national health system in each country.
Minister Budi explained that the government has two main priorities in the health sector through the new Health Law. First, the government wants to increase access to and quality of health services for the community. Then the second, want to arrange regulations to return the portion or function of the regulator to the government.
There are several main programs in the law, one of which is that previously the focus was on curative, we will shift it to promotive. Previously, the funding was very less measurable, it became measurable and the focus was on the program. Then the health workers, which are lacking, will be sufficient and evenly distributed.
In a sense, the Health Law will improve the national health system because it will put the system in order. Especially the issue of financing, and it is guaranteed that there will be no underpayment or late payment of BPJS fees to hospitals, so that it will benefit the patients. Those who seek treatment using a BPJS card can be served well by the hospital.
Then, thanks to the Health Law there will be an even distribution of health workers, especially in central and eastern Indonesia. The government is aware that those who need health workers are not only in Java but also outside Java. In Papua, Nusa Tenggara and other areas there will be a sufficient number of health workers.
Meanwhile, Health Policy Expert, Dr. Hermawan Saputra, MARS. CICS said the Health Law is urgently needed to improve the national health system (SKN) in Indonesia. Included in the issue of improving public health.
Dr. Hermawan continued, Indonesia really needs a law (UU) that represents our national health system because so far the existing regulatory system has been partially fragmented and sometimes not harmonious between one policy and another.
Based on Presidential Decree No. 72 of 2012, the National Health System is health management organized by all components of the Indonesian nation in an integrated and mutually supportive manner to ensure that the highest degree of public health is achieved.
However, the implementation of SKN in Indonesia is considered to be ineffective due to overlapping regulations. Hermawan said that there are many regulations equivalent to the Health Bill which cannot represent and guarantee health services or efforts to protect the health of the Indonesian people.
Dr. Hermawan gave an example of Law Number 44 of 2009 concerning Hospitals and Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health where the health system itself is actually regulated at the level of a Presidential Regulation (Perpres). This is different from the national education system (Sisdiknas), which is regulated by law. So there are separate fragments in our current health system. This is just what we see from the macro situation
Using the Omnibus Law method, the Health Law will simplify regulations in order to harmonize laws and regulations regarding the health system in Indonesia.
In a sense, don’t let overlapping regulations be detrimental, both for health workers and their patients. For example, for people who use BPJS health cards. They have been made difficult to get a room or buy medicines by people at the hospital. The reason is that the BPJS card owner does not pay. Even though they are already paying every month.
To overcome such problems, the Health Law was made. With this law, the owner of the BPJS card can get treatment smoothly and get his health rights. Meanwhile, those who make things difficult will be reprimanded, even punished. Health Law is needed both for health workers and patients. This law improves the health system so that the salaries of doctors, midwives and health workers (with ASN status) will not be late. In addition, patients can use the BPJS card for treatment and are guaranteed no rejections.
