Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Public policy expert from UPN Veteran Jakarta, Achmad Nur Hidayat, assessed that the approval of the Health Bill into a Law is not beneficial for the national healthcare system. Instead, the policy will make the system at risk of being hijacked by big health capital owners.
"They don't have to communicate with professional organizations, being connected to the Minister of Health is enough," said Achmad in a written statement on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
Achmad added that the Health Bill also had high-risk liberalization value. Allowing foreign doctors to open practices in the country without fulfilling the national standard of profession creates a potential risk of malpractice.
In detail, Achmad criticized the approval of the Health Bill in three main points. First, the Health Bill was passed with no aspirations since five main health professional organizations and 200 professors had actually rejected the Bill.
Second, the Health Bill is full of health system centralization and liberalization. The government's role is becoming more dominant while healthcare professional institutions lose their power. "Since the role is too prominent, in the future Minister of Health is at risk of being contested by health investor oligarchs," Achmad said.
Third, Achmad added, the Health Bill facilitated oligarchs to decide the national healthcare system. Health investors will easily place a Minister of Health to do their bidding than negotiate with healthcare organizations since they are plural, professional, and transparent.
Another proof is the elimination of mandatory spending which helped the public service for lower-class income people. "The elimination of mandatory spending means the minimal health budget as a form of mandatory political budget for the lower class is no more," said Achmad.
These points, he believed, proved that the Health Bill was not approved in the name of the public. Achmad said that the public became an object, whether it was healthcare professionals or patients.
"Examining the Health Bill, people will notice that this omnibus law is not for the sake of improving the quality of public health. But it will pave the way for the health industry and capital owners to expand rapidly," he said.