Jakarta Globe, Novy Lumanauw, Apr 28, 2015
President Joko Widodo, center, distributes the Indonesia Health Card (KIS) to workers at a rubber plantation in North Sumatra. (Antara Foto/Septianda Perdana) |
Jakarta.
Tens of millions of disadvantaged Indonesians will start receiving the government’s
much-touted Indonesia Health Card (KIS) and Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) from
this week — months after the flagship social benefit programs were officially
unveiled.
The
government says the cards will improve Indonesians’ access to education and
health services, and it aims to distribute them to more than 100 million
people.
A total of
88.2 million people will receive the KIS card, which provides the nation’s poor
and near-poor with access to healthcare.
Card
holders will be entitled to treatment at public primary care clinics
(puskesmas) and treatment in third-class hospitals. Benefits provided under the
health card will be managed by the Social Security Agency (BPJS) but funded by
insurance premiums of Rp 19,225 ($1.60) per person — paid by the Ministry of
Health.
Meanwhile,
20.3 million people will be provided with the KIP card, which entitles students
from underprivileged families to 12 years’ free education, as well as education
resources and free higher education provided they pass university entrance
exams.
Workers at
a rubber plantation in North Sumatra were the first to get their hands on the
KIS cards on April 18, but the government started national distribution on
Tuesday.
Distribution
of the cards, a campaign promise of President Joko Widodo, was slated for late
2014, but budget wrangling that was only resolved in January pushed the
schedule back.
“We’ll
start distributing the cards this week,” Joko said on Tuesday after disbursing
3,289 KIS cards to employees of state-owned shipping and dock company, Dok
& Perkapalan Kodja Bahari, in North Jakarta.
The cards
are similar to the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and Jakarta Smart Card (JKP)
implemented when Joko was governor of the capital,
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment