Comatose mother's children can't pay bills<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Things have been going from bad to worse for the seven children
\nof 71-year-old Cecilia Djarwati, who is now lying in a coma in
\nthe hospital.<\/p>\n
Not only are the family's efforts to seek justice from those
\nresponsible for their mother's condition making little progress,
\nthe seven children now find themselves unable to pay her medical
\nbills at the Honoris Hospital, Tangerang, where Cecilia is being
\ntreated.<\/p>\n
The unfortunate chain of events started when the family was
\nbusy preparing for the wedding of the youngest child, Katharina,
\nwhich was scheduled for June 9.<\/p>\n
Anxious to witness the ceremony, Cecilia wanted to get
\nsomething done about her eyesight, which was getting worse by the
\nday.<\/p>\n
\"When we took our mother for a cataract operation to the
\nhospital on May 23, we thought we would only have to pay Rp 6
\nmillion for the surgery and another Rp 4 million for medicine,\"
\nCecilia's third son, Bambang Irianto, told The Jakarta Post on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
The cataract operation never took place as Cecilia, who was
\nstill recuperating from a stroke, fell unconscious on the
\noperating table. Doctors said she was suffering from cerebral
\nbleeding and immediately operated to stop it.<\/p>\n
\"We were waiting outside ... We don't know what they did to
\nour mother, but they claimed they had just started the pre-
\nsurgical procedures, including putting drops into her eyes, when
\nshe started vomiting and then fell unconscious,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
\"We didn't know what to do when the doctors rushed outside to
\ntell us that ... the doctors had made the decision themselves.\"<\/p>\n
Although she survived, Cecilia has been in a coma ever since.<\/p>\n
Katharina's wedding was held at her mother's bedside.<\/p>\n
As the hospital's doctors had convinced the children that
\ntheir mother would have no problem with the cataract operation,
\nthe family, through their lawyers from the Jakarta Healthcare Legal
\nAid Institute (LBH Kesehatan), reported the doctors and the
\nhospital to the police for negligence early in August.<\/p>\n
\"Besides reporting the hospital to the city police, we have
\nalso filed a civil suit against the hospital in the Tangerang
\nDistrict Court,\" Iskandar Sitorus of LBH Kesehatan said.<\/p>\n
But on Aug. 16, a bill from the hospital for Rp 124 million
\narrived, not including tens of millions of rupiah more for
\nmedicine.<\/p>\n
\"We are not a rich family. To cover the expenses, we sold our
\nmother's house in Cimone, Tangerang, for Rp 80 million while our
\neldest brother Daryanto has taken out bank loans worth more than
\nRp 40 million using his house as collateral,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
The children could only make a cash down payment of Rp 64
\nmillion on the bill. After pressure from the family, the hospital
\nat first offered a miserly 5 percent discount but later increased
\nthis to 15 percent a week later after the media got hold of the
\nstory.<\/p>\n
Honoris Hospital spokeswoman Lily refused to answer when asked
\nwhether any relief would be extended to the family.<\/p>\n
\"The management has instructed that all questions about the
\npatient be directed to our lawyer,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The hospital's lawyer, OC Kaligis, turned out to be
\nunavailable for comment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/comatose-mothers-children-cant-pay-bills-1447893297",
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