Sentani – The Jayapura Regency Government in 2024 allocated a budget of Rp2.5 billion from the special autonomy fund to provide free medical treatment for indigenous Papuans who possess identification cards from this region. Free medical treatment is certainly a dream for everyone, especially indigenous Papuans in the era of special autonomy. The opening up of access in the healthcare sector is expected to contribute to the increase in the Human Development Index of Papua.

The Human Development Index of Jayapura Regency in 2023, according to data from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency, reached 81.51 percent, an increase of 0.49 percent compared to the previous year. With such a budget allocation for a year, indigenous Papuans holding identification cards from Jayapura Regency do not need to spend money to obtain treatment at the Yowari Regional General Hospital, except for those who are participants of the Social Security Administration for Health.

For participants of the Social Security Administration for Health, medical claims will be covered by the government’s health insurance. Services under this free medical treatment include medical services, emergency services, provision of free medication if available at the hospital pharmacy, and laboratory tests. Other examinations still need to be communicated with the hospital management.

This free medical treatment system was only implemented in 2024 and will be evaluated in the following years if the program will continue. Viktor Done, a young man from West Sentani, welcomed this free medical treatment program. “As an indigenous resident of Jayapura Regency, I am very grateful for this program,” he said.

However, Viktor noted that most people have to buy medicine outside when the doctor’s prescription is not available at the hospital pharmacy. “We also hope that the medicine can be complete so it doesn’t have to be bought outside,” he said.

Certainly, free medical treatment like this greatly helps indigenous Papuan communities to receive optimal services from society. “Especially since we know that the money for this free treatment comes from the special autonomy fund, hopefully it can continue,” he said.

The Importance of Population Documents

Considering the importance of population data such as identity cards, the Jayapura Regency Government through the Department of Population and Civil Registration encourages residents who do not yet have these population documents to promptly arrange for their issuance. Consequently, all residents can obtain free healthcare services.

To determine the actual population of indigenous Papuans in Jayapura Regency, the local government is finalizing the census of indigenous Papuans in the region.

“Hopefully, population data will be available soon,” said the Head of the Department of Population and Civil Registration of Jayapura Regency, Herald J Berhitu.

The population of Jayapura Regency in 2023 was recorded at 276,112 people. Of this number, 134,317 people have undergone Electronic Identity Card registration, while 7,478 people have not.

“We hope that Electronic Identity Card registration can be carried out for residents who are already 17 years old,” said Berhitu.

Furthermore, to achieve maximum population services, the department provides mobile administrative services to schools, the Alda Company, Sentani City Square Mall, the Class II A Drug Rehabilitation Institution in Doyo Baru, and Ambora Village in Demta District.

Free medical facilities for indigenous Papuans are not only provided at the Yowari Regional Hospital but can also be accessed at 22 community health centers located in 19 districts in Jayapura Regency. Specifically at Yowari Hospital, services are provided for both mild and severe illnesses.

Since late 2023, Yowari Hospital has had Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan) services used for diagnosing or detecting muscle and bone-related diseases such as bone tumors and fractures, as well as diseases like cancer, heart and lung diseases, strokes, and liver diseases.

“People in Jayapura Regency don’t need to seek healthcare outside the region because we have CT Scan facilities here,” said Yowari Hospital Director, Dr. Risamasu.

Moreover, newborns in the hospital can now immediately obtain population documents in the form of Child Identity Cards and birth certificates. The hospital has built an integrated system with the Civil Registration Office of Jayapura Regency through an integrated population administration service system with hospitals.

“The most important thing is that once the baby has a name, the officers can immediately process the population data after the baby is born,” said Dr. Risamasu.

With these conveniences, it is hoped that people no longer need to bother arranging population data for their newborns at the Population and Civil Registration Office of Jayapura Regency. This is a progressive step with an integrated system carried out by Regional Apparatus Organizations in Jayapura Regency.

Of course, the improvement in population administration is not only for free healthcare matters. Law Number 24 of 2013 concerning amendments to Law Number 23 of 2006 concerning population administration states that population data from the Ministry of Home Affairs sourced from district/city population data is the only population data used for all purposes, namely public services, development planning, budget allocation, democracy development, law enforcement, and crime prevention.

The efforts currently being developed in the healthcare sector by the Jayapura Regency Government are expected to improve human resource quality in Papua. Progress in other sectors will be significantly influenced by progress in the health sector.