Yovanda Noni, Jakarta – The key to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is the government's commitment to protecting the entire population through health insurance, Ghufron Mukti, president director of BPJS Kesehatan, said at a conference. He added that the involvement of regulators and all stakeholders is essential in formulating policies that support the expansion of health insurance coverage.
"According to a 2012 article in The Lancet, countries in Asia needed decades to register their entire population into social security programs. Even Germany, the oldest country to implement a social health insurance system, took 127 years. Meanwhile, Indonesia only took 10 years to achieve UHC in terms of membership," said Ghufron, who was invited as one of the panelists at the INSPIRE Health Forum held on July 7-11, 2025, in Manila, Philippines.
Gufron said as an archipelagic country with the fourth-largest population in the world, it is not easy for Indonesia to provide health insurance coverage for its entire population. However, thanks to the strong commitment and collaboration of all stakeholders, more than 98 percent of Indonesia's population is now covered by the JKN Program. The rapid growth of JKN membership has attracted many countries to conduct comparative studies.
"We have received numerous visits from countries interested in learning about the mechanisms and implementation of health insurance in Indonesia. It's fair to say that Indonesia has become one of the global references for health insurance systems," Ghufron told hundreds of international guests.
On the other hand, Ghufron explained that the increasing number of JKN members must be accompanied by improved access to health services. For this reason, BPJS Kesehatan continues to expand its network of partner health facilities across Indonesia. In 2024, BPJS Kesehatan had partnered with 23,682 Primary Health Care Facilities (FKTP) and 3,162 Advanced Referral Health Facilities (FKRTL).
"The JKN Program has stimulated growth in the private health industry, especially hospitals. As many as 66.13 percent of BPJS Kesehatan's partner hospitals are privately owned. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of hospitals collaborating with BPJS increased by 88 percent," said Ghufron.
He added that BPJS Kesehatan is also working to provide healthcare services for the entire population, from urban areas to remote regions. In fact, several floating hospitals have been contracted by BPJS Kesehatan to serve remote areas that previously had difficulty accessing health services.
"We also have to look at things from the participant's perspective. It's not just about access to healthcare. The quality of services, participant satisfaction, and their needs must also be met. Our commitment is to serve JKN participants in a borderless manner, meaning they can access services anywhere in Indonesia regardless of their current domicile," said Ghufron, who also serves as the Chair of the Technical Commission on Medical Care and Sickness Insurance of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), which has 162 member countries.