Jakarta. A group of Japanese delegates that were partners to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) recently explored Indonesia’s national health insurance (JKN) ecosystem during a visit to the state-run BPJS Kesehatan. 

According to BPJS Kesehatan’s president director Ghufron Mukti, the visit shows international interest towards the agency’s success in managing the JKN program and achieving universal health coverage. Ghufron reported that the program had covered 98.67 percent of Indonesia’s total population as of September, surpassing 277 million people across the archipelago. 

"BPJS Kesehatan is present as part of Indonesia's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] set by the UN, especially in targeting poverty reduction and a healthy and prosperous life. The JKN program not only provides health insurance, but also includes promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services, which aim to maintain public health," Ghufron was quoted as saying in a recent press statement. 

BPJS Kesehatan has collaborated with 23,295 primary health facilities which include community health centers, clinics, and individual practicing doctors. The agency has also partnered with what they call “advanced referral healthcare facilities”, which include hospitals to make sure that JKN participants have access to fast services. 

The JKN program recorded 606.7 million health service uses throughout 2023. This is equivalent to 1.6 million users using it per day. BPJS Kesehatan also offers remote services through the JKN mobile app, Pandawa Whatsapp services, and Care Center 165. Pandawa is available at 08118165165.

JKN also has the i-Care system that lets doctors and users monitor their medical records in the past 12 months. One of the JICA partners Tomohiko Kamikawa praised the JKN program and its innovations, saying that technology has helped BPJS Kesehatan to deliver the healthcare services that are increasingly needed by the community. 

“This includes helping reduce the mortality rate of infants younger than 5 years old,” Kamikawa said. 

He also called for a multi-stakeholder collaboration to bring down the mortality rate. According to Kamikaa, the recent meeting enabled the Kobe-based medical venture company Vitaars to exchange healthcare-related knowledge with BPJS Kesehatan. 

“We hope that this can strengthen the health of the Indonesian people, as well as increase Indonesia's competitiveness at the global level through a more comprehensive health insurance system," said Kamikawa.