Health Access for All: The Role of On-Demand Health Workers for Uninsured Workers

Casual daily workers are a group of workers who play an important role in supporting the economy, especially in the informal sectors such as construction, agriculture, services, and logistics. However, they are often in a vulnerable position because they do not have social security, including membership in BPJS Kesehatan. When experiencing health problems, many of them postpone or even ignore treatment due to cost, access, and time constraints. This is where the role of on-demand health workers becomes important as a form of more flexible and affordable health assistance.

On-demand health workers refer to doctors, nurses, or other medical personnel who can be accessed digitally or called directly to the patient's location. With the support of technology, they are present through a mobile platform that allows consultations, minor examinations, health education, and further referrals if needed. This approach is very relevant for daily workers who often have irregular work schedules and cannot set aside time to queue at health facilities.

Through the application or hotline service, workers can consult regarding minor health complaints, get basic drug prescriptions, and recommendations for self-care. Some services also provide home visits by medical personnel at affordable rates. In this way, workers can still obtain health services without having to miss work days or face large cost burdens.

In addition to curative services, on-demand health workers also play a role in preventive education. For example, providing information about occupational diseases, the importance of rest, hydration, or the use of personal protective equipment. With a humanistic and communicative approach, this education can be delivered in a language that is easily understood by workers from various educational backgrounds. 

This mentoring program can also partner with local communities, cooperatives, or labor unions to reach more workers who are not yet protected by the formal health insurance system. In the long term, this kind of mentoring can reduce the number of serious illnesses that arise due to delayed treatment and encourage health awareness in informal work environments. 

Of course, challenges remain, ranging from limited digital devices, technological literacy, to the need for funding to maintain the sustainability of the program. Therefore, collaboration between the private sector, local governments, and NGOs is needed to support an inclusive on-demand health service ecosystem for daily workers. 

Overall, health mentoring by on-demand health workers provides new hope for millions of casual daily workers without BPJS. This is not only a short-term solution to address the gap in access to services, but also the first step in building a health system that is fairer and more adaptive to the reality of informal workers in Indonesia.