Private Sector Health Care in Indonesia

As documented in Indonesia’s 2007 Public Expenditure Review, the private sector’s role in the Indonesian health care system has grown dramatically over the past decade. In 2009, Health Systems 20/20 conducted a review and assessment of the private health care sector to provide an in-depth understanding of key issues that could be used to plan future interventions that better engage private sector health providers to achieve health sector goals and objectives. The researchers found that there is a wide overall acceptance among Indonesian consumers to use private sector providers for a range of health services and products – even among the poorest socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, there have been major changes in the availability of health financing services in the last decade, which have had an effect on private sector quality standards. However, there are still major gaps in communication between national and local public health officials and between local officials and private providers. This report presents the consolidated findings from the desk review and the in-country assessment, as well as recommendations for future interventions.