Indonesia Increases Health Budget to IDR 193 Trillion

Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian government increased the health budget this year following the spike in Covid-19 and the imposition of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

The Minister of Finance said the budget ceiling for the health sector would be increased to Rp193.93 trillion, after Rp172 trillion and then up again to Rp182 trillion.

“So there has been a very high increase in the health sector,” Sri Mulyani explained in a virtual press statement after the plenary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta on Monday.

The health budget, said Sri Mulyani, among others, is to finance efforts to track Covid-19 cases, tests and patient care, as well as incentives for health workers, procurement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and procurement of 53.91 million doses of vaccine.

Sri Mulyani also stated that she would transfer the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN) to support the health budget and provide social assistance.

“In this Cabinet Meeting, it was agreed that there would be a refocusing for the next stage to finance Rp. 26.2 trillion, plus Rp. 6 trillion from the Village Fund Financial Transfer [TKDD],” she said.

The budgets that are planned to be cut or diverted include official travel, meeting packages, service spending, office building construction, procurement of vehicles and equipment or machinery, she explained.

She added that the government would not cut spending for economic recovery and handling Covid-19, disaster management spending, ministry/institutional operational spending, personnel spending, and multi-year contract spending.

“Mr. President and Vice President have instructed that these priorities be sharpened so that we can still help the entire community, especially the health and community sectors, in dealing with the Covid-19 which is surging so that an Emergency PPKM is needed,” she concluded. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)