Garbage Insurance Clinic Model dr. Gamal Albinsaid: The First Health Insurance With The Cheapest Premium In Indonesia

Indonesia in the eyes of the World Bank is classified into a middle to lower class economy. Until now, limited resources have become a cliche of poor health services for the poor in Indonesia.

Although, household-level public health insurance coverage rates have increased over the past decade, more than 60 percent of the population still remains unsecured.

The latest data shows that 18 percent of the population continues to live below $ 1 USD per day, and about half live below $ 2 USD per day.

Each household spends 2.1% of their total consumption on health, ranging from 1.6% for the poorest decile and 3.5% for the richest, which is relatively low compared to other countries with the same income level. This is exacerbated by the low management system of municipal solid waste, which is associated with premature death, serious illness, and decreased quality of life.

On the other hand, households provided by the government running waste management services are required to pay collection fees starting from $ 1.10 USD to $ 3.2 USD. However, whatever efforts are made by the government sector and the private sector in improving the quality of public health will only have a significant effect if it is followed by individual and community awareness.

If organized, the community can mobilize their own resources to improve the services needed.

I and you also believe that health is a human right. However, many people in reality cannot get access to health because they do not have enough money and expensive drug costs.

Indonesia has considerable problems related to access to medical health services. Many people cannot get access to health services due to financial factors.

For example, the true story of a 3-year-old girl, Khaerunissa, happened on June 5, 2005. She is the son of a 38-year-old scavenger, Supriyono, who only earns Rp.10,000 a day. He suffered from diarrhea, but he could not get access to health services due to unreachable health costs. In the end he died of diarrhea.

In response, this social phenomenon, then Gamal Albinsaid, a young doctor who cares for the community began to think about how to create a health financial model that allows everyone to get access to health services.

According to him, waste is the best solution because almost every day, every house produces waste that is not used, so that every community can join this program. For example, urban areas in Indonesia produce more than 55,000 tons of solid waste every day, but only 50-60 percent is collected.

This motivated dr. Gamal Albinsaid to develop a garbage insurance scheme as a health financial system called "Garbage Insurance Clinic". Garbage Insurance Clinic is a micro health insurance that uses waste as a source of financing. With this program, the community pays for health services using up to the insurance scheme.

With this program, it can make people mobilize wasted resources to improve access to health services and destroy barriers between health facilities and communities. Gamal Albinsaid and his team opened access to health services, that is: garbage-based health services.

The health service program was initiated by Dr. Gamal Albinsaid has been followed by many people. Especially the people who live around the Garbage Insurance Clinic which was founded by Gamal, through the Indonesian Medika organization. This means that the existence of health services like this can help people to get access to health services so that there are no more people, especially children from poor families who die because they are unable to pay for medical expenses and expensive drugs.

So if we want think creatively like dr. Gamal Albinsaid, I am sure there is no news about death due to his illness. The health care program that was initiated by Dr. Gamal Albinsaid was like micro insurance with low premiums. Where the community can collect garbage which will be valued at Rp. 10,000. The target is only Rp. 10 thousand every month.

This is the first health services program in Indonesia that no one had thought of before. Such a program deserves appreciation and support from all walks of life. Besides providing health services to the poor, this program also make people aware of cleanliness because they have to store and collect garbage to be exchanged for medical expenses (health insurance).

Thank You Very Much

Regards, @ijoel