Local patients seek 'personal touch' abroad<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's lack of sufficient medical
\nfacilities and the absence of an overall personal touch in health
\ncare may be among reasons thousands head to Singapore every year.<\/p>\n
Through necessity, the government has focused on meeting basic
\nmedical provisions due to the nation's huge population and
\ngeographic scope.<\/p>\n
Like most of the developing world, Indonesia is an
\nagricultural society still beset by "traditional" health
\nproblems, according to Dr. Karjadi Wiroatmodjo of the Dr. Soetomo
\nTeaching Hospital in Surabaya, East Java.<\/p>\n
Health development programs since the late 1960s have
\nconcentrated on maternal and child health care, family planning,
\nnutrition, immunization environmental sanitation.<\/p>\n
But disease patterns are changing as a result of economic
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Karjadi noted that from 1985 to 1990, the number of orthopedic
\nsurgeries at Dr. Soetomo soared by 253 percent.<\/p>\n
Before 1990, the private sector was barred from investing in
\nhospitals.<\/p>\n
Private sector participation since then has helped improve the
\nquality of health care in the country.<\/p>\n
There are now 515 private institutions among 1,039 hospitals
\nnationwide.<\/p>\n
But with only about 17,000 doctors, 14 percent of whom work in
\nprivate hospitals, the ratio of physicians to the current
\npopulation of 200 million is staggeringly low.<\/p>\n
To fight heart disease, the leading cause of death, the
\ncountry can only plan setting up cardiac clinics across the
\ncountry, with the National Cardiac Center at Harapan Kita
\nHospital serving as a referral center.<\/p>\n
This is the most viable option as it is too costly to
\nestablish more hospitals and pharmaceutical production
\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
In the greater Jakarta area alone, analysts project the need
\nfor 5,000 more hospital beds by the turn of the century.<\/p>\n
The harsh reality is there may not be enough for everyone,
\nincluding those seeking better quality medical services.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health's Director General of Medical Care,
\nSoejoga, notes that improved education and income levels have
\nincreased people's expectations.<\/p>\n
They now want specialists in addition to standard general
\npractitioners, he said.<\/p>\n
Soejoga maintained that motivation for people seeking medical
\ncare abroad was not just a question of quality.<\/p>\n
"In my opinion, our medical facilities and quality of our
\ndoctors aren't much different from other countries," he argued.<\/p>\n
He attributed the penchant for foreign treatment to the lack
\nof a personal touch among some local medical personnel.<\/p>\n
Some doctors were unable to maintain close relationships with
\npatients, he said, but abroad "the patient is considered king".<\/p>\n
But doctors in Singapore spoke highly of their counterparts in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon Dr. Lee Chuen Neng said
\ninfirmaries like Harapan Kita had adequate facilities, but the
\nlimited number of surgeries they could perform often led patients
\nto travel abroad.<\/p>\n
Neurosurgeon Dr. Balaji Sadasivan made a similar observation,
\nadding that while hospitals like Gleneagles in Singapore had an
\nedge in various medical facilities, its counterpart, the Siloam
\nGleneagles in Hospital in Jakarta, was being assisted to catch up
\nin several areas.<\/p>\n
Balaji said a doctor's manner with patients should be thorough
\nand open to discussing all their concerns, particularly for
\nforeign ones who had traveled great distances.<\/p>\n
Indonesian patients are "too appreciative", he said.<\/p>\n
"You quickly bond with them and when they come back they never
\nforget to bring something personal for me, usually a cake. As a
\nresult of treating so many Indonesian patients, I've probably
\ntasted cakes from every Indonesian region."<\/p>\n
The holistic approach of providing all aspects of patient
\nneeds is something which Indonesia could learn to adopt.<\/p>\n
"Patients are apprehensive when they go abroad...We try and
\nmake sure that they feel at home," said Tan-Hoong Chu Eng, head
\nof Physician Relations of Parkway Group Healthcare.<\/p>\n
Parkway has developed a one-stop Medical Referral Center (MRC)
\nfor patients in Singapore and abroad seeking medical assistance
\nor information.<\/p>\n
"The MRC helps to arrange for the appropriate specialist
\nconsultation, medical evacuation and even makes arrangements for
\naccommodation for the accompanying relative," she said, referring
\nto the (62) 755-2000 hot line serving both English and Indonesian
\nspeakers.<\/p>\n
Since its establishment last year, the MRC has received 400
\ncalls monthly, more than half from Indonesia, she said. (09\/mds)<\/p>",
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