Jakarta. The government recently revealed that it had provided free healthcare for as many as 96 million Indonesians, particularly those coming from poor households, amidst attempts to slash poverty.

About five months into office, President Prabowo Subianto inked a presidential instruction on eradicating extreme poverty. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), about 23.85 million Indonesians still live in poverty as of March. The agency classifies anyone who spends less than Rp 609,160 (approximately $36.78) to be poor. Senior minister Muhaimin Iskandar said that the government had spared no effort in improving people’s welfare, including entirely covering the poor’s national health insurance BPJS Kesehatan fees. 

“In total, 96 million people do not have to pay the [health insurance] fees. They do not have to pay a single cent. The sub-national governments are all taking care of this, all hands are really on deck,” Muhaimin said during a visit to East Nusa Tenggara earlier this month.

Muhaimin said that the BPJS fee waivers for the poor reflected the government’s commitment to strengthening the social safety net. As people get out of poverty, this provides them the opportunity to “contribute again” to the BPJS Kesehatan scheme. “This way, the health insurance system can run sustainably,” Muhaimin said.

Aside from affordable healthcare, the government has also prepared other strategies to address poverty, including inflation control, food price stabilization, affordable education facilities, and adequate transportation. Work is also underway to create jobs and prepare a skilled workforce as nearly 3 million people still live in extreme poverty. The government is also ramping up infrastructure development -- including vertical housing -- in Indonesia’s remote areas, including East Nusa Tenggara.

“We must maximize all government facilities and infrastructure to ease the burden on our people,” Muhaimin said.