VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Jakarta (voinews): At least 13 existing health laws will be affected by the 2023 Health Bill, the Health Minister's health law expert staff Sundoyo said during an FMB9 Dialogue themed “Indonesian Health Service Transformation: Health Bill” on Monday.

Specifically, there are nine laws that will be repealed while others will be changed due to overlap with other laws, he explained.

The Health Bill is an initiative of the House of Representatives (DPR) and has been envisaged on the lines of an omnibus law. Thus, the Health Law may have new content, change similar laws, and remove equivalent laws.

Amid the decline in the COVID-19 pandemic caseload, the Health Bill is expected to provide a strong legal foundation to reform the Indonesian health system, Sundoyo said.

The Indonesian health system still has many overlapping regulations and inequalities in terms of health service access.

The laws that will be included under the Health Law revision through the omnibus mechanism cover Law No. 38 of 2014 on Nurse and Law No. 4 of 2019 on Midwife.

They also include Law No. 29 of 2004 on Doctor Practice, Law No. 40 of 2004 on National Social Insurance System (SJSN), Law No. 4 of 2011 on National Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS), Law No. 7 of 1963 on Pharmacy, and Law No. 6 of 2018 on Health Quarantine.

According to Sundoyo, the health issue in Indonesia is very complex and necessitates a comprehensive solution, starting from meeting the demand for health human resources, facilities and infrastructure, to the pharmaceutical industry.

"Pharmacy has also become important within this Health Bill. Currently, 90 percent of medicinal raw materials are still imported, thus independence in this case should be improved," he said.

During the event, executive director of Kolegium Jurist Institute, Ahmad Redi, said that within the health regulation, there are 15 laws that have the potential for norm conflicts and implementation trouble.

"Indonesia itself is known for having complicated regulations, thus it makes it difficult to achieve optimal health service quality," he observed.

"Because of this, the Health Bill has become a good initiative from the DPR and the government," he noted.

He said that, in his view, the Health Bill can simplify licensing, help establish medical study programs, and distribute health facilities more equally, especially outside of Java Island. (Antaranews)