PCR Policies that Benefit Certain Business Groups
The government's reduction in prices for PCR examination services does not reflect the principles of transparency and accountability. It is suspected that this policy is only to accommodate the interests of certain groups who have medical equipment businesses, especially when PCR is made a requirement for all modes of transportation.
PRESS RELEASE
PCR Policies that Benefit Certain Business Groups
The government's reduction in prices for PCR examination services does not reflect the principles of transparency and accountability. It is suspected that this policy is only to accommodate the interests of certain groups who have medical equipment businesses, especially when PCR is made a requirement for all modes of transportation.
The provisions regarding the price of PCR examination have changed at least 4 (four) times. At the start of the pandemic, the price of PCR was not yet controlled by the Government so the price was very high, even reaching IDR 2.5 million. Then in October 2020 the new government controlled the price of the PCR to IDR 900,000. 10 months later the price of PCR fell again to IDR 495,000-IDR 525,000 due to criticism from the public who compared the costs in Indonesia with those in India. Finally, on October 27, the government reduced the price to IDR 275,000-IDR 300,000.
It should be remembered that when the positive number for COVID-19 spiked in July 2021, the price of the PCR examination at that time was IDR 900,000/test, which resulted in not all people being able to access the examination. Even though it dropped a month later due to public pressure and comparison of inspection costs with India, it is clear that the government is not using the principle of a public health emergency and is prioritizing the interests of certain business groups. Moreover, the latest decline (27/10) seems to be only intended to boost community mobility. We see that this price reduction should be possible when the second wave hits, so that citizens do not have difficulty getting their health rights. The reduction in PCR prices for mobility needs also reflects that this policy is not based on public health principles, but economic recovery.
From the entire series of changes in PCR examination rates from start to finish, the Coalition noted that there was at least more than IDR 23 trillion in money circulating in this business. The total potential profit obtained is around IDR 10 trillion more. When there are provisions that require the use of PCR for all modes of transportation, the circulation of money and the potential profits obtained will certainly increase sharply. This condition shows that the Government has failed to provide safety guarantees for citizens.
Based on the budget for handling Covid-19 in the health sector in 2020, it is known that the actual use of the budget for the health sector was only 63.6% of IDR 99.5 trillion. This year's financial conditions are no different. As of October 15, it was known that of the Rp. 193.9 trillion budget allocated for handling Covid-19 for the health sector, only 53.9 percent had been absorbed. Based on these conditions, the Government actually still has the resources to provide free access to PCR examination services to the public.
There are 2 (two) problems with the above conditions. First, the Coalition suspects that the decline in PCR prices is because a number of goods that have been purchased, both by the government/companies, are about to expire. By issuing this provision, it is suspected that the Government is helping service providers to use up PCR reagents. Because this condition was discovered by ICW during a joint investigation with the Investigative Journalist Club.
Second, there is no information regarding the cost components that make up the PCR examination price. In a number of reports, BPKP and the Ministry of Health have never provided any information regarding the types of components and their quantities. Based on information held by the Coalition, since October 2020, the price of PCR reagents has only been IDR 180 thousand. When the Government set the price at IDR 900 thousand, the PCR reagent price component was only 20 percent, apart from that other price components were not disclosed transparently so the price reduction to IDR 900 thousand also did not have a clear basis. Likewise, the reduction in the price of PCR to IDR 350,000 was also not based on openness of information, so that policy decisions could be taken based on the interests of certain groups. This means that since October 2020 the Government has been suspected of accommodating a number of interests of certain groups.
From the notes above, the Civil Society Coalition for Health and Justice urges that: The government stop all efforts to accommodate certain business interests through policy. The Ministry of Health must disclose information regarding the components that make up PCR examination rates along with their percentages. The government must make PCR examinations free for the entire community.
Jakarta, 31 October 2021
Civil Society Coalition for Health and Justice
ICW, YLBHI, LaporCovid-19, Lokataru
Contact Person:
Amanda Tan (Covid-19 Report)
M. Isnur (YLBHI)
Mirza Fahmi (Lokataru)
Wana Alamsyah (ICW)
