Aceh – Indonesia, THE acting Regional Secretary of Aceh, Taufik, needs to turn his attention to Zainoel Abidin Regional General Hospital (RSUZA). In particular, to review the hundreds of billions of rupiah in debt accumulated by the hospital.
Unsparingly, the previous management left behind a staggering debt of Rp 392 billion to the new management. This not only disrupts the hospital’s services, but also hinders its development as it must constantly stretch its budget to cover these liabilities.
Under normal calculations, this debt will only be fully paid off in six years. This means that throughout that period, Aceh’s primary referral hospital will suffer from having to tighten its belt just to pay for past “sins.”
It should not actually be difficult for Taufik to resolve this matter. He simply needs to demand accountability from the hospital’s previous management who caused the debt to pile up. Especially considering that in the final years of the former management’s tenure, there was a sudden surge in debt alongside a drastic depletion of cash reserves.
In 2023, the hospital’s operational expenditure debt jumped from Rp 123.71 billion to Rp 241.67 billion the following year. It peaked in 2025, with recorded debt reaching Rp 416.97 billion.
At the same time, the hospital’s cash balance plummeted sharply. From Rp 57.85 billion in 2023 down to Rp 30.28 billion in 2024. Towards the end of the previous management’s term, cash reserves stood at merely Rp 553.66 million.
Yet, the hospital generates revenue between Rp 650 billion to Rp 800 billion annually. So, where did all the money evaporate to? It is reasonable to suspect that this occurred due to reckless budgeting processes and improper payments.
This financial issue is critical as it repeatedly triggers operational crises, ranging from shortages of medicines and medical consumables to cuts in healthcare workers’ incentives. Ultimately, it is the patients—the people of Aceh—who bear the brunt of the burden.
For this reason, the Aceh Government needs to conduct an external forensic audit of RSUZA’s contract documents and cash outflows for the 2023–2025 period. Financially speaking, the hospital should be healthy, not suffering from an illness itself.***