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Indonesia Health Insurance Advice

Global Health Insurance is a market leading medical and healthcare brokerage. We offer Indonesia insurance health advice to the expatriate community and pride ourselves on searching and selecting the right plan for you. As the Indonesia insurance health plan market continues to grow there is an even greater need for good quality advice and recommendations. Our international medical consultants constantly search the market for new policies that may better serve the needs and requirements of our Indonesia insurance health plan clients.

The Republic of Indonesia in Southeast Asia is an archipelago made up of over 17,000 islands. Cultures, language and the arts vary widely across the islands, ranging from Java to Bali and beyond. Neighbouring countries include Australia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, East Timor and the Philippines. Historically an important region for regional trade linking China and India, Indonesia’s economy has grown rapidly in recent years along with these Asian powers and it is now one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is also the world’s largest Muslim country, 86.1 percent of the total population of the country’s 238 million citizens practice the Muslim faith.

As Indonesia emerged from the Asian Financial Crisis in the early 2000s, increased attention was paid to health and social spending. Public provision of healthcare has improved dramatically over the past decade, with assistance from bilateral and multilateral institutions. The administrative functions of the Indonesian public health care system were decentralised beginning in 2001. Although this process has not been without glitches, the WHO and the Indonesian Ministry of Health remain committed to the “decentralisation project” with the aim of improving the reach of Indonesian health care in more far-flung regions of the country. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health announced a stated shift in focus from curative and rehabilitative, to preventative health care. The Healthy Indonesia plan aims to improve the overall health of Indonesians by improving the affordability of health care.

Health care spending in Indonesia remains relatively low as a proportion of GDP, only at 1.2 percent, compared with 2 percent in Malaysia and 3.1 percent in Thailand. Government spending makes up only a small proportion of total Indonesian health spending – most comes from out of pocket payments. Locally, private Kuwait health insurance is fairly limited, and is usually provided to employees in the formal economy.

Primary care is generally adequate in Indonesia, although there is wide geographic variation. Private health care and NGOs are increasingly attempting to fill the gaps left by the public health system. However, these are unregulated and quality of care varies.

Most major health indicators in Indonesia have improved over the past two decades, but problems persist. Women, children and adolescents are often underserved by the health care system, particularly those in remote areas. Antenatal, birth and infant care is very poor and this is reflected in maternal and infant mortality figures which are among the highest in Southeast Asia. The WHO and Indonesian Ministry of Health have pledged to improve healthcare training in order to improve both the quality, and quantity of the healthcare workforce.

In Indonesia, communicable diseases remain the major cause of mortality. Tuberculosis rates are astonishingly high. According to the WHO, over 300 Indonesians die from tuberculosis every day and there are 500,000 new cases every year. Polio has also returned to the country, following a failed attempt at eradicating the disease through immunisation. Much of Indonesia is also at high risk for the spread of malaria and other insect-borne diseases. This is despite efforts to distribute mosquito nets across the country. The WHO has issued a number of health warnings in Indonesia over the past decade on avian flu, SARS, polio and meningitis.

Along with its economic growth, Indonesia is also increasingly suffering from non-communicable diseases, or the so-called “diseases of affluence” such as cancer and cardiopulmonary disease caused by sedentary lifestyles and poor diets. However, these are not restricted to the wealthier segments of the population. High smoking rates have also led to numerous health problems for Indonesians of all socioeconomic status.

HIV infection, most often spread by intravenous drug use, is a major problem for Indonesia’s young adults. However, many of these are receiving anti-retroviral therapy, often with the support of multilateral aid organisations.

Indonesia’s location makes it especially prone to natural disaster such as earthquakes, typhoons, floods, tsunamis and volcanoes and the concomitant health risks that these catastrophes involve. Indonesia’s rapid industrialisation has come at some cost to the environment. Air pollution and other ecological damage also carries serious health risk. Political unrest is also fairly common in Indonesia, including the infamous bombing attacks in Bali.

Indonesia has become an increasingly popular destination for adventurous tourists and expatriates. However, as mentioned above, travel in Indonesia does entail serious risks. The US – based Centres for Disease Control have issued some guidelines for potential visitors. Updating routine vaccinations four to six weeks before departure is suggested. Rabies and Japanese encephalitis jabs are suggested for those planning to spend time in rural areas.

Taking precautionary measures against malaria is also advised. These may include wearing long-sleeved clothing, using insect repellent with DEET and taking anti-malarial pills on a preventative basis. Note that choloroquine is not an effective anti-malarial medication in Indonesia.

While Indonesia is a rapidly developing country, and health care at some private clinics in Jakarta and some other major areas may resemble that in more developed nations, more remote hospitals and clinics struggle to provide modern equipment, pharmaceuticals and trained staff. And the most serious medical emergencies in Indonesia will require air evacuation, often to Singapore or Australia. This expensive procedure can cost more than USD100,000.

Fortunately, Global Health Insurance can assist with your international health insurance needs. With a dedicated staff of experienced representatives ready to advise you around the clock, Global Health Insurance will make sure that you, your family, your tour group or your company are covered. Plans available through Global Health Insurance include alternative, maternal, dental, evacuation and other specialist services. Contact a Global Health Insurance advisor today for more information.