Many doctors ignore license ruling: IDI<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many health professionals have ignored a two-
\nyear-old government ruling that requires them to obtain a license
\nto practice.<\/p>\n
Only 21.5 percent of the 8,000 doctors in Jakarta have applied
\nfor a license, said Agus Purwadianto, head of the Jakarta branch
\nof the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said the reason behind the neglect was the lack of time the
\nprofessionals had to obtain licenses as most of them had tight
\ndaily schedules.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health's deadline for the professionals to
\nabide by the new ruling was on Aug. 25, or two years after the
\nruling was issued. But Agus said IDI's head office would ask the
\ngovernment to postpone the deadline to December 1999.<\/p>\n
Agus was speaking at a joint news conference on health-
\npractice consumers organized by IDI Jakarta and representatives
\nof the Indonesia Health Consumers Empowerment Foundation (YPKKI)<\/p>\n
Licenses, he said, should be renewed every five years. They
\nare not renewed unless doctors pass a medical knowledge
\nassessment test.<\/p>\n
Those who fail the test will have to undergo a relearning
\nprocess before they can obtain a license renewal, he said.<\/p>\n
Agus said the ruling was to ensure the provision of quality
\nmedical services to the public.<\/p>\n
IDI's central board will standardize medical doctors'
\nsignboards to better inform the public about their expertise,
\nworking hours, licenses and IDI membership, he said.<\/p>\n
Doctors have to obtain IDI recommendation on their physical
\nand psychological fitness, ethics and competency before they can
\npractice their profession, Agus said.<\/p>\n
He said medical practice and medical ethics violations,
\nincluding criminal offenses, were subject to a Rp 100 million
\nfine and the closure of a doctor's practice.<\/p>\n
Agus also urged the public to report any irregular medical
\nservices and to call their local IDI branch for immediate action.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Marius Widjajarta, head of the foundation, said the
\norganization had received 30 complaints from the public since
\nOctober last year.<\/p>\n
The complaints ranged from unsatisfactory service,
\nunprofessional medical practitioners, malpractice and even bogus
\nmedical doctors.<\/p>\n
Seppi Tompodung, a victim from Lenteng Agung, south of here,
\nshared his experience, saying when he took his baby son for an X-
\nray, the doctor turned out to be a bogus internist.<\/p>\n
He alleged that the doctor, by the name of Tadjudin Tutu, took
\nan X-ray with a pocket camera. Although Seppi was astounded he
\ndid not protest. On his next visit, Tutu put the baby in a barrel
\nwrapped with aluminum foil with a bunch of cables attached to it,
\nsaying that the baby needed a scan.<\/p>\n
When Seppi remarked that the scanning equipment looked like a
\nturbine, Tutu said it was a German-made machine.<\/p>\n
Seppi later reported the case to YPKKI. But by the time YPKKI
\nofficials visited the alleged bogus doctor, he had fled.<\/p>\n
YPKKI which was founded on Aug. 18 last year as a non-
\ngovernmental organization dedicated to protecting health
\nconsumers from fraudulent medical services. (06)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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