IDI legal advisor defends members' independence<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI)
\ndefended on Thursday the independence of its members examining
\nwhether former president Soeharto is fit to stand trial for
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
\"Doctors are independent and they are professionals. They must
\nbe free from any coercive offers when they perform their duties.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore they must be judged based on their competence and
\nnot only on the background of their institutions,\" IDI's legal
\nadvisor and counseling and defense board chief Herkutanto told
\nThe Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, a court ordered the attorney in Soeharto's case
\nto form a team of doctors consisting of representatives of IDI,
\nthe health and social welfare ministry and three state
\nuniversities.<\/p>\n
\"All of these doctors are members of IDI. So why does IDI have
\nto be included?<\/p>\n
\"Therefore we suggest two options, namely IDI be removed from
\nthe team or IDI stays, but as its coordinator. Why? Because our
\norganization represents doctors in every university and
\ninstitution in the country,\" he said.<\/p>\n
IDI's credibility is at stake in the handling of the Soeharto
\ncase, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We do not want any parties to try to ruin the credibility of
\ndoctors by creating the false impression that some of us working
\nfor a certain interest in this case.\"<\/p>\n
Herkutanto also criticized the ignorance of people, including
\njudges and prosecutors, of the difference between the diagnostic
\nand administrative roles of doctors.<\/p>\n
\"It will be useless to form this (new) team of doctors or any
\nother such team if people do not understand the distinction
\nbetween the two terms and their functions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The diagnostic physicians in this case are those in the
\nAttorney General Office-appointed team, while the administrative
\nones make up Soeharto's private team, he explained.<\/p>\n
\"Diagnostic doctors are the ones who determine whether a
\nperson is fit to engage in a certain activity. In this case,
\nwhether Soeharto is fit to stand trial.<\/p>\n
\"Administrative doctors are the ones who treat the patient and
\nare responsible for his recuperation. These physicians only deal
\nwith Soeharto's health and they can't become members of the
\ndiagnostic team to anticipate a possible conflict of interest.
\nThe same rule goes for the diagnostic doctors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
IDI believes that the both teams of doctors had performed
\ntheir jobs professionally, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the problem lay in the fact that people and the court
\nhandling Soeharto's case were confusing and comparing the
\ncompetence of the two teams and blaming the doctors.<\/p>\n
\"The two cannot be compared as they used different measures in
\ntheir jobs, even though they may come up with similar results.<\/p>\n
\"I think the new diagnostic team will come up with more or
\nless the same conclusions as the previous teams. And we fear that
\nif the court feels that its answers are unsatisfactory, there
\nwill be another team. This will further spoil IDI's image.\"<\/p>\n
It seems that the trial is trying to force the doctors, who
\nare supposed to give a judgment on Soeharto's ability to stand
\ntrial, and get them to clearing him to stand trial, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Again, competence to stand trial is determined by the legal
\npractitioners and not the doctors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
IDI chairman Merdias Almatsier said that intensive medical
\nexaminations must be periodically carried out on Soeharto to
\nreveal the actual state of his health.<\/p>\n
\"Soeharto's health report was issued in March and now almost
\nsix months have gone by. His condition may fluctuate. So the
\ndoctors must come up with the latest reports,\" he said. (edt)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/idi-legal-advisor-defends-members-independence-1447893297",
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