The relationship between officer understanding and availability of medicines with the referral number of National Health Insurance (NHI) patients at the Poasia Primary Health Care in Kendari city, southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia, 2024

Background: The referral ratio of National Health Insurance patients at the Poasia Health Center fluctuated from February to April 2024. Based on initial survey data obtained at the Poasia Health Center, the referral ratio of NHI patients in February was 24.43% and in March it was 27.05%. Then, in April it continued to increase to 29.38%. In addition, there is a gap in the referral ratio of NHI patients from year to year when compared to the Social Health Security Administration Body regulation in 2014, which stipulates that the number of patient referrals at first-level health facilities should not exceed 15% of the total BPJS patient visits. Methods: This study is a type of quantitative research using a cross-sectional approach. The sampling technique was carried out using the total sampling method, involving 113 respondents in accordance with the number of population. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a relationship between the officers' understanding of the function of the health center as a gatekeeper (p-value = 0.035) and the availability of medicines (p-value = 0.002) with the referral number at the Poasia Health Center in Kendari City. Conclusion: There is a relationship between the officers' understanding of the function of the health center as a gatekeeper and the availability of medicines and the referral number at the Poasia Health Center in Kendari City in 2024. It is expected that health agencies will further intensify training on referral policies and strengthen the drug management system for health workers to ensure that referrals are made rationally to the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the number of referrals