PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Public understanding of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is considered crucial for easier, more targeted access to healthcare services, and compliance with applicable regulations. This was conveyed by the Head of the Health Resources Division of the Bandung City Health Office, Detty Kurnia, during a Sonata Talkshow titled "Understanding Universal Health Coverage (UHC)" in Bandung on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

According to Detty, many people still understand UHC as a free healthcare program provided by the Bandung City Government. However, UHC encompasses much more than just financial assistance for healthcare.

"Perhaps we've been branded as the free health insurance program in Bandung. However, by definition, UHC is health insurance that ensures every citizen has fair access to preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services without financial risk," he said.

He explained that, simply put, UHC is a health insurance system that ensures people can still access the healthcare they need without experiencing hardship due to medical costs. Therefore, UHC is not awarded to specific individuals, but rather serves as an indicator of a region's success in ensuring health protection for its entire population.

Detty stated that one of the requirements for achieving UHC is high health insurance coverage. The more citizens enrolled in the health insurance system, the greater the region's chances of maintaining UHC status.

"UHC can be achieved if at least 98 percent of Bandung City residents have health insurance. Therefore, what's being calculated is the overall population coverage," he said.

He further explained that the health insurance system consists of five participant segments. The first segment is the Health Insurance Contribution Assistance Recipient (PBI JK), participants whose contributions are paid by the central government. The second segment is the Regional Government Beneficiary (PB Pemda), participants whose contributions are paid by the Bandung City Government.

Additionally, there is the Wage-Earning Worker (PPU) segment, which includes civil servants (ASN), members of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and Indonesian National Police (Polri), private sector employees, and employees of state-owned and regionally-owned enterprises (BUMN) and regionally-owned enterprises (BUMD). In this segment, contributions are paid jointly by workers and employers, in accordance with applicable regulations.

Meanwhile, the Non-Wage Recipients (PBPU) segment includes people with independent incomes, such as traders, business owners, informal workers, and content creators. The Non-Workers (BP) segment includes retirees, veterans, and other groups who are unemployed but still have health insurance coverage.

"What the public has long known as UHC is actually UHC for the regional government's PB segment. However, the health insurance system includes several other participant segments," Detty explained.

On the occasion, Detty also explained the mechanisms available to residents who lack health insurance. For non-emergency situations, residents can visit a community health center (Puskesmas) for assistance with the registration and membership verification process.

Meanwhile, residents requiring emergency care can access services directly through the hospital. Hospital staff will assist with the registration process, which will then be verified by the Bandung City Health Office and BPJS Kesehatan.

He added that individuals with outstanding BPJS Kesehatan (Healthcare) payments under certain circumstances still have the opportunity to be eligible for the UHC scheme. However, applications must meet several established administrative requirements, including providing population documents and other supporting documentation.

According to Detty, the completeness and accuracy of population administration data are crucial factors in the participant verification process. Therefore, the public needs to ensure all documents they possess are complete and valid.

"The public must ensure their population administration data is complete and accurate, as it significantly impacts the application and participant verification process. Do not entrust UHC processing to individuals or brokers. The entire process can be carried out through health facilities and authorized officers, following established procedures," he explained.

By improving the understanding of the UHC concept, membership segments, and healthcare application mechanisms, the Bandung City Government hopes the public will utilize the health insurance system optimally, ensuring access to equitable, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all Bandung residents. (Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)