Dessy Sagita – The government's focus on treating illnesses rather that preventing them by promoting healthy lifestyles is costing the country valuable time and money, according to an expert.

"There's been no progress regarding Indonesia's health management, especially since decentralization, under which regional administrations have used the promise of free health care as a campaign draw," said Does Sampurno, the senior adviser to the Indonesian Health Experts Association (IAKMI).

Does was speaking ahead of the association's national congress next week in Bandung. He said that more than 85 percent of the national health budget, which he said was insufficient to begin with, was used to treat the sick.

"The number of people who actually need treatment is probably less than 10 percent of the total population, but the way the government is doing it is very inefficient because treating people is extremely expensive and takes a lot time," he said.

Instead, Does said, the government should allocate more money for programs that promote the importance of healthy lifestyles, sports and vaccinations.

He said the government's current health care approach was fundamentally flawed. The state has allocated Rp 21 trillion ($2.3 billion) to health care this year, or 2.5 percent of the total budget.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, recommends that state spending on health be no less than 5 percent of a country's total budget.

"The government promises to provide decent health services for all, which is beside the point because most of the population isn't sick to begin with," Does said. "What really matters is to make people more productive by adopting healthy lifestyles."

He said the current Indonesian idea of what constituted successful health service management involved a high number of hospitals, clinics, doctors and nurses.

"But once you get sick, you lose your productivity, which in the long run cripples the whole country," Does said. "The government needs to realize that maintaining good health is an individual responsibility, and that it can't afford to keep on treating the sick."

Adang Bachtiar, the chairman of the IAKMI, said one way the government could begin changing its philosophy would be to immediately pass the bill on social security, known as the BPJS bill.

"The government has been talking about universal coverage and giving everyone equal access to decent health care, but so far it has just been rhetoric," he said.

Adang said next week's IAKMI congress would focus on this issue as well as come up with recommendations for the government and the House of Representatives to consider in their deliberations of the bill. Once passed, the bill would change the way high-risk groups were covered, he said.

"The bill includes a provision for a body that will decide if, say, a heavy smoker or an alcoholic or a drug user should be registered in the scheme," Adang said.

Some health officials have proposed excluding smokers and alcoholics from free health care schemes, saying it is unfair to subsidize those who do not look after their health.