Life is Healthy

Antara News, Wednesday, June 9, 2010 16:08 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here Wednesday called for an increase in the amount of social assistance for senior citizens which now stood at Rp300,000 per person per month.

"I have talked about it with the social affairs minister and asked him to increase the amount. The monthly rate of Rp300,000 per senior citizen should be raised in line with the increase in our gross domestic product (GDP) and state budget," the President said.

The president made the remark in his address at a function to mark National Senior Citizens` Day at the State Palace.

Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al-Jufri explained earlier that since 2007 the government had been giving social security funds to some 10,000 senior citizens. Each of them received Rp300,000 per month.

Therefore, the head of state added that besides increasing the senior citizens social security funds, the government at present and in the future would also continue to improve the protection of senior citizens and other special population groups such as severely disabled, displaced children, and others who deserved social protection.

The President also asked provincial, district, and municipal administrations to continue providing senior citizens and disabled people with other public facilities such as at railway stations, bus stations, and other public places.

"It is unethical if the elderly and disabled also have to jostle or struggle in the crowds at railway stations and bus terminals to get into a train or bus. Let us respect them by giving them greater convenience as the implementation of social justice for all people," the president said.

The head of state noted that the number of elderly in the country had continued to increase every year. The figure was 5.3 million in 1970 but rose to 19.5 million in 2008.

According to the president, the increase in the number of elderly people indicated that national development had produced tangible results. An increase in a people`s life expectancy rate also signified a higher prosperity level, he said.

Kevin Haydon, the CEO of global sales and service at Philips Healthcare, said that while there was growing awareness about the urgent need for healthcare among countries in the ASEAN region, this tendency also produced the challenge of growing demand.

Despite the general problem of increasing demand for quality healthcare, there are also specific problems experienced by ASEAN countries, which have different financial structures or market characteristics.

“In the case of developed economies, the biggest health challenges are chronic diseases and the fact that the population is living longer. As you get older, you end up with more chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, which are typically more expensive to manage,” Haydon said.

While countries with developed economies strive for ways to ensure that better quality healthcare is still affordable, those with emerging markets are still struggling with basic issues of access.

“In many emerging economies, despite increasing affluence, urbanization and improved healthcare, there is still a serious challenge of ensuring access to healthcare — especially for the millions of urban and rural poor,” Haydon said in his speech during the event.

Nova said there had not been any moves for direct cooperation between Indonesia or any other ASEAN countries, such as Thailand and the Philippines.

The Indonesian government is currently drafting a bill on a social insurance management agency. The bill is expected to provide a legal basis for an agency that will manage the national security system, in which all Indonesians will have primary healthcare insurance.

Earlier this week, lawmaker, Surya Chandra Surapaty, said the House of Representatives was hoping to submit the draft to the President on June 16.

Nova said that should the country manage to pass the bill this year, it might establish itself as a model for other countries in the region.

However, she added that some suggestions revealed the hope in establishing a universal healthcare system in which the rich helped the poor and the well helped the ill was “very ambitious”.

“We [legislators] are discussing whether this bill will be feasible,” she said.

Nova raised several issues, such as whether the state should also cover secondary or tertiary healthcare and whether the state should apply taxes to ensure feasibility.

“Thailand mentioned that at first the system of paying 30 baht granted primary health care, but then [the problem] spread further into the secondary and tertiary. Nowadays, there are many diseases related to lifestyle and climate change,” she said.

On a more optimistic note, Nova said that she would propose including mental illnesses in the draft of the new bill.

During the action, police arrested a man suspected of being a provocateur. The man was spotted while making oration outside the rally material. He also set fire to photographs of a number of state officials.

Supriyadi Siregar, one of the demonstrators from the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Jakarta, said he did not know the identity of the arrested man. "The police immediately brought away the provocateur," he stated.

In their action, the demonstrators chanted yells while demanding the government of SBY-Boediono to put more concerns on the fate of workers. Meanwhile, some demonstrators who claimed to be the members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) expressed their refusal to a mass layoff and the dismissal of labor unions.

Based on beritajakarta.com observation, before heading to Merdeka Palace, the demonstrators conducted a long march from Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle. They came from various mass elements; some of them were the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union or Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI), the Alliance of Indonesian Fishermen, the Alliance of Indonesian Peasants, and Jakarta Workers Forum.

The demonstrators delivered several demands to the government; among others, the existence of social health insurance, the life pension guarantee for formal workers, and the abolition of outsourcing system.

In the meantime, Central Jakarta Traffic Police Chief Comr. Slamet Asenan said in order to avoid severe traffic congestion during the rally; traffic at some locations was diverted.

Traffic from Harmony heading to Merdeka Palace was directed to Jl Juanda, and the traffic from Gambir railway station was transferred to Jl RVeteran Raya; while three was no traffic change on Jl M.H. Thamrin.

Translator: halim

The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Sun, 04/18/2010 9:07 PM

Domestic helpers need to have healthcare insurance to cover possible accidents at work or while on the way to work, says a state-run insurance company officer.

“Some domestic helpers do not live with their employers. Accident may happen while they are going to their workplace, or during work hour, for example, burn injuries,” PT Jamsostek's Yogyakarta marketing unit head Hasan Fahmi said Sunday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Hasan said that he found it essential to recognize the profession of domestic helpers and therefore provide them with health insurance.

Fundamentally you are a moment ago a collection of danger. May You Trust That You Do not should insurance for you or for your family and That You will take your chances on staying healthy and safe Risk But taking this cost you Everything That Could Have Worked for you. The Following are the basic forms of insurance That Should Have Every person Regardless of Their race, age, or Nationality and

Jakarta Globe, March 23, 2010

Washington. President Barack Obama’s Republican foes in the US Senate on Monday were preparing to battle the last piece of his historic health care overhaul after Democrats ushered in the most sweeping US social policy changes in more than four decades.

The House of Representatives passed the core of Obama’s plan late on Sunday, but with a stand-alone package of changes that Senate Republicans planned to fight in hopes of bruising vulnerable Democrats ahead of elections in November.

Overturning the plan, which the president was expected to sign as early as today, was a mathematical impossibility in this election cycle because Republicans cannot win the two-thirds majority needed to override Obama’s veto.

On Sunday, House Democrats voted over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of Americans in an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years.

The vote sent the measure to President Obama, whose yearlong push for the legislation has been the centerpiece of his agenda and a test of his political power.

The bill will affect virtually every man, woman and child in the United States in some way, from the 20-somethings who constitute one of the largest uninsured groups to poor, childless adults who don’t qualify for Medicaid in most states to professionals who could see their benefits shrink.

NY Times, Washington Post, AFP

Your current health insurance plan may leave you with expensive medical bills for injuries and illnesses that occur while traveling abroad due to network restrictions. If your plan doesn't cover incidents that occur internationally, then you'll want to be sure to purchase tourist insurance before departing.With insurance companies adding more restrictions to where and who policyholders can get

Jakarta Globe, March 19, 2010

The parents of a six-month-old baby who died after she was allegedly denied treatment by Tangerang's Sari Asih Hospital are planning to take legal action.

Elsa Ainurohmah was brought to the hospital on March 15. She was having difficulty breathing after ingesting cold medicine. Sari Asih allegedly refused to treat her because parents Paidi and Septi could not pay Rp 10 million ($1100) as a deposit toward her care. The couple say they tried to take their baby to another hospital, but she died before they got there.

The family said the hospital had apologized and given them Rp 200,000, but they were firm in their decision to pursue the case.

“Nothing can return our child to us," Paidi told Metro TV. "We want justice for Elsa's death."

However, hospital director Mahruzzaman Naim said the hospital had not denied the child treatment.

“We took the necessary actions for Elsa but her condition was already very bad when she got here,” he said.

JG

The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Mon, 03/15/2010 10:25 AM

Yogyakartans expecting free medical services will have to join an insurance program with the option of a paid premium of Rp 5,000 or Rp 10,000.

The program is part of the Community Health Insurance (Jamkesta) scheme to be launched by the city administration in the middle of the year in a bid to ease financial burden on health services, especially for the less fortunate.

The program seeks to cover medical expenses of every city resident, without exception.

The Jamkesta is a health insurance scheme for every resident who has not been accommodated in previous health programs, such as the Provincial Community Health Insurance (Jamkesda) and Social Health Insurance (Jamkesos). The municipality has set aside Rp 16 billion (US$1.6 million) from this year’s provincial budget to support the program.

To take part in the program, underprivileged residents must pay Rp 5,000 in monthly insurance premium fees and Rp 10,000 for the more affluent. The members will have their medical costs for treatment in hospitals covered by the municipal administration.

“We are preparing a legal umbrella in the form of a local bylaw. It is currently being deliberated at the municipal council,” said Choirul Anwar, the Yogyakarta city health office head.

The Jamkesta ordinance, he added, had received a positive response from legislators and it was projected to be completed and approved by March this year.

“The program seeks health treatment accessibility for people of any walk of life and a healthy community is a main asset for development. So, we are very serious and will prioritize the health ordinance, but we need time to study the regulations in detail,” said Yogyakarta city council speaker Henry Kuncoro Yekti.

Henry expressed hope the Jamkesta program would not only make Yogyakartans physically healthy, but the program must go hand in hand with the campaign of a healthy lifestyle for every resident.

Choirul said his office was currently drawing up technical guidelines on the implementation of the Jamkesta, while waiting for its approval.

“We are currently discussing and preparing the draft and technical guidelines in detail.”

The municipality is forming the Public Services Agency (BLU), which will manage the Jamkesta program, subsidy mechanisms and data update, because the program must be supported with valid data.

The program, which is expected to cover 80 percent of the residents in Yogyakarta, serves as media to educate people about healthy lifestyle.

The program will be tried out in Tegalrejo, Wirobrajan, Pakualaman, Danurejan, and Umbulharjo districts by early August this year.

Head of the Yogyakarta Neighborhood Unit Discussion Forum Widayanto said he applauded the program and hoped the municipality’s campaigns would raise awareness among the people about the need to become a member.

A newborn baby suffering from hydrocephalus, a potentially deadly condition where excess fluid forms in the brain causing the head to swell, in Banda Aceh. A Jakarta hospital has denied allegations that it refused to treat a baby boy with the condition. (Antara Photo)

The management of a Jakarta hospital has denied allegations that staff refused to treat a two-month old baby suffering from hydrocephalus, a potentially deadly condition where excess fluid forms in the brain.

The marketing head at Central Jakarta’s Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Dr Abdullah Antaria, said that the baby boy, whose name is Muhammad Toriq, had received several treatments from the hospital, including special medication that must be taken before undergoing a head scan on February 24.

However, Toriq was not considered to be an urgent patient, therefore staff did not recommend him to be hospitalized, the doctor told Metro TV.

Meanwhile, the hospital’s director Akmal Taher said staff decided not to hospitalize the baby because his condition was stable and he only required minor treatment.

“We will only treat him if within 48 hours he needs to be operated on or if his condition is very weak,” Akmal told detik.com.

He said that rooms for hydrocephalus patients are limited.

“Our beds are always 80 percent full so the priority is for patients who need urgent treatment or immediate action,” he added.

Toriq is the son of Romi Dona and Fitriani from Cilegon, Banten. Toriq and his parents are currently staying in a mosque on Jalan Kimia in the Menteng area. Toriq’s head is swelling rapidly and now has a diameter of 50 cm, they said.

Hi father Romi Dona said the hospital only gave the infant head ointment and that the parents’ request for hospitalization and immediate action were not heeded. The low-income family is covered by public health insurance, or Jamkesmas.

People on the city's free health plan should stop jeopardizing their health by smoking, city officials said. (EPA Photo/Jurnasyanto Sukarno)

Governor Fauzi Bowo on Tuesday announced a new proposal that would restrict the access of smokers to the city’s free health care program for low-income residents.

“How can they enjoy the free health care scheme when they know that smoking can cost them their health? That is just not fair,” he said.

Fauzi said deliberations were under way on a possible new city regulation that would alter the terms of the Gakin program, which provides free health care for less fortunate families across the capital.

He said the issuance of the SKTM, a letter normally issued by community leaders to confirm the low-income status of residents, could also be revised.

According to city records, more than 164,000 low-income households across Jakarta have a Gakin card, while an additional 50,000 households have SKTM letters.

Quoting data collected by city officials, Fauzi said that almost a quarter of the average low-income worker’s income was spent on cigarettes.

“When Gakin cardholders smoke, 22 percent of their income goes up in smoke,” the governor said, adding that the number of women and young people taking up smoking was increasing annually across the capital.

Fauzi said he was determined to tackle this problem head on.

“I am not eliminating the Gakin scheme; I just do not want to give free health care to smokers,” he said.

Dien Emawati, who heads the Jakarta Health Agency, said on Tuesday that the city administration’s plan would stress that Gakin cardholders and residents with SKTM letters were not allowed to smoke.

That message, she said, would be formally publicized and strictly implemented across state hospitals, clinics, subdistricts and urban wards.

“We guarantee free health care for the poor, but they need to give up smoking and stop jeopardizing their health,” she said. “If there is even one person who smokes in a family, the entire household is affected.”

Dien said deliberations over a gubernatorial decree to restrict the Gakin card and SKTM letters to nonsmokers were already under way, with talk of “trained field officials” being tasked with checking the teeth and mouths of those claiming low-income status to determine whether or not they were smokers.

Dien said discussions would cover a number of issues, including whether medical services would be immediately stopped for active smokers suffering from lung-related illnesses.

A large number of low-income residents, she said, already suffer from lung diseases such as pneumonia and acute respiratory infections.

Husna Zahir, chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), told the Jakarta Globe that her organization agreed in principle with the city administration’s proposal and would support its implementation if it were passed.

She said the strict measure could help increase awareness about the financial and health impacts of smoking.

“Many poor people still prioritize cigarettes over food,” Husna said. “Smoking is one bad thing that can be prevented and stopped.”

According to data collected by the University of Indonesia in 2008, some 35 percent of all Jakartans were active smokers.

The university’s research also found that a family of smokers would spend on average Rp 113,000 ($12) every month for cigarettes. That is slightly more than the Rp 100,000 direct cash assistance package (BLT) given to low-income residents by the government.

Mothers and children taking worm pills distributed by a foundation focused on health for the poor in Ancol, Jakarta. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Strict implementation of the 2004 National Social Security System Law is needed to prevent millions of Indonesians from slipping through the cracks in the health insurance system, a lawmaker said on Thursday.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator Rieke Diah Pitaloka said in a discussion hosted by Indonesia Corruption Watch that the House of Representatives health commission was pushing the government to implement the law. More and more low-income people are finding themselves inadequately covered or subject to inappropriate fees within the public health insurance system, commonly known as Jamkesmas.

“By implementing this law, there shall be no more discrimination against the poor because every citizen in the country would be protected,” Rieke said.

The law combines into a single entity existing state-run insurance schemes such as Asabri, the military insurance and pension fund; social security fund Jamsostek; and national health insurer Askes.

“Existing state-owned insurance firms are profit-oriented, with limited target members. The new system would ensure equality for all citizens, including the poor,” Rieke said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch researcher Ratna Kusumaningsih said the lack of transparency over claim procedures had led to widespread corruption within the system. The antigraft watchdog said that as much as 78.3 percent of the Jamkesmas members surveyed last year were still being charged by public and private hospitals, even though the program entitles them to free health care.

“Hospitals must be more transparent and accountable in treating their patients and complying with minimum service standards. The [Health Ministry] must immediately create a body to supervise and monitor the conduct of hospitals, as stipulated in the law,” Ratna said.

Aswanah, a 50-year-old mother of three, said at the ICW discussion that she still had to pay a portion of her medical bills despite being covered by Jamkesmas.

“I had an accident at work and injured my eyes. I was taken to a public hospital in Tangerang and the doctors told me that I needed surgery,” she said. “I was shocked when the hospital said that Jamkesmas only covered half of my Rp 20 million [$2,140] bill. When I got my Jamkesmas card, I was told that all my medical expenses would be covered by the government.”

But inappropriate fees are just part of the problem. Abdul Cholik Masulili, a Health Ministry expert, said low-income people often can’t join Jamkesmas . Meanwhile, those who shouldn’t qualify often do.

“There are poor patients who are not listed as eligible for Jamkesmas. In contrast, there are those who receive memberships but actually can afford their medical bills,” Masulili said.

The official said the ministry had estimated that only 70 percent of 71.8 million members of Jamkesmas can be considered as poor, while there are five million underprivileged people still not covered by the scheme.

“The problem is getting credible and up-to-date data,” he said.

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