Jakarta, Nov. 13 -- The Health Ministry is currently improving the referral system from health facilities to hospitals, which was previously tiered, to be based on patient needs.

"Currently, we divide the hospital grade with D, C, B, and the highest level A. In the future, referrals will be competency-based. Patients will be referred according to their needs, not necessarily tiered," the ministry's Director General of Advanced Health Services, Azhar Jaya, said in a meeting with Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), on Thursday.

According to him, the referral network management program aims to improve the competency of priority disease services at each hospital.

Currently, the ministry classifies health serv...