Thumbs Down for Poor Family Card System

More than 25 percent of Jakarta’s poor are unhappy with the way the government’s Poor Family Card, or Gakin, scheme, is being managed, a survey revealed on Friday.

The survey, conducted by Partnership, a nongovernmental organization, showed that 29 percent of 116 respondents had faced extortion when applying for the cards, which give access to low-cost or free healthcare.

Under the scheme, residents wishing to take advantage of the government’s free or low-cost healthcare services had to secure a letter from the head of their community stating that they were impoverished.


Residents then had to present this letter, known as an SKTM, to the district office in order to receive the card. Some residents reported that they have been asked to pay varying “administrative fees.”

Rohidin Sudarno, head of the survey team, said that “25.3 percent of the survey’s respondents complained of fees of between Rp 5,000 (42 cents) and Rp 10,000 per letter being levied illegally per letter by local community heads.”

The Partnership survey also revealed that 21.7 percent of respondents said they have received harsh treatment from medical doctors and 44.2 percent complained of negligence by paramedics.

M. Sobari, the executive director of Partnership, said that most hospitals also required a down payment from Gakin card holders before providing them with medical treatment.