NHI debate: PPP model that works for 250m Indonesians - template for SA?

Judging by the vociferous comments on social media after my interview with Dr Nicholas Crisp, middle-class South Africans are almost universally camped against the concept of national health insurance. But most South Africans DO agree the status quo is disastrous. While corruption, cadre deployment and incompetence are blamed, deep structural issues inherited from pre-1994 were never addressed. South Africa’s solution surely lies outside those provided in often-referenced First World countries like the UK and France. Among the global success stories is Indonesia, a developing country with an efficient universal healthcare system serving a widely dispersed population four times SA’s. The President of Indonesia’s national health insurance body is Dr Ali Ghufron Mukti. He is a university professor and serves as the director general of Indonesia’s Ministry of Research Technology and Higher Education. We met during his visit to SA last week. - Alec Hogg

Video production by Patrick Kidd

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Timestamps
00:00 - Introductions
00:45 - Dr Ali Mukti on his visit South Africa
01:16 - Dr Mukti on the geography and politics of Indonesia
02:21 - On the background of Indonesia's national healthcare system
03:51 - On the debates surrounding National Health Insurance
04:42 - On the standard of healthcare in Indonesia
06:27 - On whether doctors emigrated from Indonesia upon the inception of NHI
07:00 - On the processes and successes of NHI in Indonesia
08:13 - On private sector involvement
09:54 - On what healthcare NHI in Indonesia offers and provides the "normal" person
11:09 - On taxation and funding of NHI in Indonesia
12:04 - On the benefits of universal healthcare
12:57 - On the percentage of Indonesia's GDP that goes toward NHI
13:44 - On the differences between the UK's NHS and Indonesia's NHI
14:50 - On talks with the South African Health Department
16:12 - On where Indonesia has gotten NHI right
18:40 - On the operational costs of NHI in Indonesia
20:12 - On combatting corruption
20:48 - Concludes

[waynevdwalt]

It's quality content like this which makes me more than happy to subscribe to Biznews. Thank you Alec and team.

I'm a firm believer that a NHI system would be of great benefit to SA. We just need to figure out a mechanism to administer it. Take it out of the ANC governments hands.

[hwleitner]

A very sugar coated version - the level of care is appalling at most public hospitals and it is not correct that all private hospitals accept patients on this BPJS. Shortest medical training globally, long waiting times, 5 minute consultations. The rich go to Singapore for top tier care. I have worked in Indonesia for more than 10 years in this sector and see the reality on the ground. You have no idea how good South Africans have it in the private health sector and many major public hospitals. For primary healthcare the Indonesian system is barely adequate. Any specialised care under bpjs is broken. 4 week waiting list for surgery is a frank distortion. Unique to Indonesia is that foreign doctors are prohibited from working in the country. Having said that there are pockets of good care in major cities. The ratio of doctors to patients is on par with Afghanistan. For every doctor in Indonesia there are 15 per population in Singapore.

[mkuluclive]

What happens to the corrupt when caught out in Indonesia?
Could we apply their laws here in SA?

[kenernstzen]

What is the quality of the service? Do they cover all possible treatments? Who pays for it?

[NkanyeziVisuals]

Progressive conversation BizNews. It enriches our national debate with workable examples. Thank You.

[coadyg]

Sa minister of health just wants a holiday in Bali. National health relies on integrity and honesty, something that does to exist with the ANC.

[mathewman]

i don't believe this. bali is part of indonesia. loads of australians go there - and if you get sick there as an australian - your travel insurance company will get you back to aus ASAP!!!!

[shnnzarifahn]

NHI in Indonesia is going better and better.. thanks to Mr. Ali GM & all Duta BPJS Kesehatan

[mathewman]

BTW they still have capital punishment (execution by machine gun) over there

[schalkvandermerwe]

Wow, that's keeping bureaucratic bloat at bay!
I don't have faith we'll get close to this. None whatsoever.

[Bokgat]

Tough comp when you compare health insurance. One of the youngest workforces in the world no?

[cyclenatic]

Why does it work there and will not work here.. they are not African they actually care about their people and are not corrupt.

[monicakieck]

They don't have affirmative action and 165 race laws in their country! Neither politicians that live the English colonial lifestyle! Neither politicians looking for healthcare overseas as they don't trust the healthcare in their own country! Neither would they employ bogus doctors and doctors from Cuba when we have unemployed doctos and nurses in SA due to their skin color😢

[berealistic]

Only thing is there the IQ a lot higher..

[Brians_view]

This is a bulls** interview. There was no research done and would appear that Alex simply accepts what he is being told. This guy is sugercoating the Indonesian health care system.