JAKARTA, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia is strengthening social protection for communities living around forest areas, particularly beneficiaries of the Social Forestry program, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"The Social Forestry policy is not only aimed at strengthening community access to forest areas, but must also serve as an entry point for improving welfare, social protection and the quality of life of communities living around forests," Antoni said during a meeting with representatives of the national health insurance agency.

According to the minister, around 1.4 million households have received Social Forestry access. Based on an average household size of three people, about 4.2 million individuals will be verified, with those meeting poverty criteria proposed as recipients of government-funded health insurance under the BPJS Health Contribution Assistance Recipient (PBI) scheme.

Antoni said the initiative is intended to ensure that forest-edge communities are not left behind in accessing basic public services, including healthcare.

He also highlighted the limited access to health facilities in many forest areas and called for the development of medical services closer to remote communities. ■