Jakarta. Health security agency BPJS Kesehatan recently took part at the 78th World Health Assembly Side Meeting in Geneva, Swiss.

BPJS Kesehatan's president director Ghufron Mukti presented Indonesia's national health insurance program or locally known as the Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN). During his presentation, Ghufron talked success in managing the JKN program -- something that he attributed to domestic resource mobilization (DRM). This scheme is also part of the company's success in achieving universal health coverage.

He also called for independent health sector financing by taking advantage of domestic potential without relying on foreign aid. According to him, Indonesia has shown that with transparent management and strong governance, national health financing can be supported sustainably.

"As of May 16, 2025, the JKN Program has covered 279.9 million people or 98.25 percent of the total population of Indonesia. This achievement makes JKN one of the largest and most inclusive social health insurance schemes in the world," Ghufron told the forum.

Over the past 11 years, the use of JKN has also increased significantly. From 92 million health service visits in 2014, the figure jumped to more than 700 million visits in 2024.

"During this period, the health service financing expenditure reached Rp 1,087 trillion. The largest financing burden came from catastrophic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and chronic kidney failure," Ghufron said.

As part of the DRM strategy, BPJS Kesehatan has developed various innovations in financing sources, including through the JKN Care Fund Community Program, a voluntary donation program from individuals and business entities. This includes corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.This program is intended to help JKN participants who struggle to pay their fees, especially those coming the informal sector.

"From 2021 to March 2025, we have collected Rp 12.7 billion to help pay the contributions of more than 19,000 JKN participants," he said.

Cigarette tax also plays a pivotal role to JKN financing. Under the existing law, local governments are required to allocate 37.5 percent of total cigarette tax revenue to support the implementation of the JKN Program. In 2024, the estimated contribution from this scheme will reach more than Rp 10 trillion, showing the great potential that can be mobilized from local fiscal sources.

"BPJS Kesehatan has carried out various innovations to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the management of the JKN Program. Among them are digitalization of services, utilization of big data, artificial intelligence for fraud detection, and strengthening data governance and protection of participant privacy. All of these steps are taken to ensure that the quality of health services is maintained and answers the needs of the community quickly, fairly, and without discrimination," Ghufron said.