Covering more than 280 million people, Indonesia has been implementing the world's largest single-payer national health insurance scheme Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) over the last decade. To foster joint learning and to discuss the scale and success of the JKN scheme, the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative (RGHI), in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Health and the World Bank, organised a one day session in Bali, Indonesia.
The approximately one hundred attendees included academics, government officials, development partners, and private sector actors. This event was the local follow-up to an earlier RGHI event in Rotterdam about Indonesia's health insurance.
Indonesia's Minister of Health, His Excellency Mr Budi Gunadi Sadikin, reaffirmed in his keynote speech the government's strong commitment to expanding access to health care facilities in JKN. The one-day session co-organised by Amalia Hasnida, Relmbuss Fanda, Margarita de Vries Mecheva and chaired by Igna Bonfrer sparked lively discussions about key lessons learned and areas for improvement. Three key takeaways were:
- Despite high enrolment (98%), JKN faces persistent financing challenges, particularly in enrolling informal workers who often struggle to pay premiums. Addressing this requires innovative and sustainable financing solutions.
- The Indonesian government is committed to implementing transformation in health care, including strengthening primary care and improving both physical and digital infrastructures. However, health service coverage remains limited, mainly due to supply-side constraints.
- Early career researchers working across both Indonesia and the Netherlands identified other challenges including access to quality-assured medicines, shifting nutrition patterns, and the need for more effective performance-based financing.
Inspired by RGHI's mission to develop equitable partnerships across low- and middle-income countries, the initiative subsequently hosted a networking event. Forty RGHI network members and collaborators from Asia and elsewhere gathered to unwind, share reflections, and connect with colleagues from across the health research, policy, and practice sectors. The relaxed ambiance of a Bali sunset in Nusa Dua inspired new ideas for cooperation on the double burden of malnutrition and the potential for insuring long-term care for older adults in Indonesia.
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Rotterdam Global Health Initiative (RGHI) is the academic interdisciplinary network initiated and sponsored by the Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, which has evolved into a vibrant community of global partners across more than 30 low- and middle-income countries.
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