North Sumatra Provincial Government Strengthens Universal Health Coverage in West Nias Through Collaboration

The North Sumatra provincial government continues to strengthen the implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to ensure that all residents have access to adequate healthcare.

North Sumatra Deputy Governor Surya emphasized that health insurance is a basic service that must be provided by every regional government.

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Surya made these remarks during a coordination meeting aimed at strengthening UHC, held at the West Nias Regent’s Hall. He was accompanied by Titiek Sugiharti, a representative of the North Sumatra Family Welfare Movement (TP PKK).

According to Surya, UHC represents the state’s responsibility to safeguard citizens’ fundamental rights to health. Therefore, all regional administrators must take its implementation seriously.

“UHC is a mandatory basic service that must be implemented by all regional and national administrators,” Surya stated.

Data from the North Sumatra Health Office indicates that the National Health Insurance (JKN) program has reached 97.84 percent of the total population in West Nias Regency. Meanwhile, the participation rate stands at 91.01 percent, placing the region in the ‘Average Universal Health Coverage’ category.

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Surya urged all stakeholders to strengthen collaboration to improve the quality of healthcare for the community. He stated that achieving equal access to healthcare requires ongoing cooperation.

“And this will certainly take time; it is not something that can be achieved overnight. Therefore, strong cooperation is required, extending down to the level of the local population. Hopefully, through our collaboration, we can realize our shared vision and mission,” said Surya.

Meanwhile, the Regent of West Nias, Eliyunus Waruwu, stated that the universal health coverage program demonstrates the state’s commitment to public health. He welcomed the North Sumatra provincial government’s efforts to strengthen the implementation of universal health coverage in the region.

Currently, the West Nias Regency has 13 community health centers (Puskesmas), four general practitioner clinics, and a regional general hospital to support healthcare services. The West Nias Regency government aims to upgrade its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) status from ‘Medium’ to ‘Advanced’ (Utama) this year.

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“By 2026, we want to elevate West Nias’s UHC status to ‘UHC Utama’ so that public healthcare services become more comprehensive,” said Eliyunus.

The Deputy Governor of North Sumatra was accompanied by Muhammad Suib (Assistant for General Administration), Alfi Syahrizal (Governor’s Expert Staff for Education, Health, Infrastructure, and Community Development), Achmad Fadly (Governor’s Expert Staff for Legal, Political, and Administrative Affairs), and Mulyono (Head of the North Sumatra National Unity and Politics Agency). ***REL