Member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), Sri Meliyana, highly appreciated the Aceh Provincial Government for successfully reaching 95 percent participation in universal health insurance or Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This achievement is considered very positive as it is above the national average.
However, the legislator from the Gerindra Party Faction emphasized that the high participation rate must be balanced with real improvements in service quality. She stated this on the sidelines of the Recess Work Visit of Commission IX of the DPR RI in Aceh Province on Wednesday (22/7/2026). She stressed the importance of adequate health infrastructure and facilities so that the benefits of health insurance can be fully felt by the public.
Sri outlined several crucial health challenges in Aceh that require serious attention. These issues include the high prevalence of stunting, maternal and child health, maternal and infant mortality rates, and the suboptimal coverage of complete basic immunization which leads to zero-dose children. In addition, the control of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) must also continue to be accelerated.
Regarding stunting reduction, Sri urged for the strengthening of the role of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) as the leading sector. According to her, solid synergy between the central, provincial, district, and city governments is vital so that stunting reduction programs are prioritized together in a sustainable manner.
Evaluation was also directed at the operational readiness of regional referral hospitals in the Aceh region, which are not yet running optimally. Sri urged local governments to immediately resolve obstacles in hospital development, including meeting the needs for specialist doctors and health workers. She warned that aid for modern medical equipment from the central government should not go to waste due to the limited human resources capable of operating it.
In addition to the health sector, Sri also highlighted the low number of labor inspectors in Aceh compared to the volume of companies that must be supervised. However, she appreciated that the participation in BPJS Ketenagakerjaan (workers social security) in the formal sector has reached 80 percent. She hopes that all findings from this work visit will be followed up immediately for the improvement of public services in Aceh.
