President Hopes to See more Hospitals for Workers in Provinces

Jakarta (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hoped that many more hospitals would be built for workers in different provinces to help improve their welfare. "This was the first public hospital for workers in the country. In the next few years, many similar hospitals are expected to be built in other industrial zones," the president said when inaugurating the Public Hospital for Workers in the Nusantara Industrial Zone in Cakung, Jakarta, on Tuesday. With access to better medical services, workers' performance and productivity were expected to improve, which in turn will help increase companies' competitiveness. The head of state also urged companies to increase the allocation for corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds in the future. He said there were labor-related problems that need to be solved, such as the implementation of the BPJS health insurance scheme, which was started a few months ago and the BPJS manpower insurance scheme, which will be started in 2015. The soft-opening of the hospital for workers was on December 28, 2013. The hospital serves both workers and the public in general. Previously, chairman of the Indonesian Labor Union Confederation (KSPI) Said Iqbal urged the government to audit the BPJS health implementation project. (*)