Poor promised free health services<\/p>\n
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Health Ministry secured Rp 500 billion (US$48 million)
\nthis year from the state's fuel subsidy reduction to provide
\nmedical services for the country's 37.3 million poor.<\/p>\n
The funds will be distributed directly to 468 mainly state-
\nowned hospitals and 7,000 public health centers throughout
\nIndonesia, starting February but only till April, Minister of
\nHealth Achmad Suyudi said Friday.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to be able to reach all of the poor people who could
\nnot afford medical services,\" Suyudi said.<\/p>\n
Aside from the usual medical services, the program also covers
\nHepatitis B immunization for infants from disadvantaged families.<\/p>\n
As a means of monitoring the funds, the hospitals and public
\nhealth services are required to provide monthly financial reports
\nto the Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n
Unlike last year, however, the poor would no longer be
\nrequired to produce a letter from local authorities explaining
\ntheir status to receive medical treatment.<\/p>\n
Suyudi said all hospitals appointed to provide such services
\nwere told not to discriminate against poor patients.<\/p>\n
\"Hospitals should not differentiate treatment between the poor
\npatients and the paying patients. Everyone must be given the same
\nservices, with or without a health card,\" Suyudi stressed.<\/p>\n
The minister said that the hospitals should form a team that
\nwould verify whether the patients were eligible for ongoing
\ntreatment or not.<\/p>\n
When asked about poor people in emergency situations who could
\nnot reach the appointed hospitals, Suyudi said that any hospital
\nhad to give treatment to all emergency patients, including the
\npoor.<\/p>\n
\"It is unethical for hospitals to reject those in need of
\nimmediate medical treatment. The hospitals who do not receive
\nthis fund must at least provide first aid, and it could later
\ntransfer the patient to hospitals that receive government funds,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He noted that the hospitals that give first aid should be
\nreimbursed. However, the technicalities were still being
\ndiscussed.<\/p>\n
Hospitals, including private hospitals, were also required to
\nallocate a certain number of beds in their third class sections
\nfor the poor, he said.<\/p>\n
Therefore, there should be no problem for any hospital to give
\nfirst aid to poor patients.<\/p>\n
This, however, raises questions on the effectiveness of the
\nprogram. Last year's health services for the poor program failed
\nas many hospitals rejected poor patients despite the fact that
\nthey had received funding.<\/p>\n
Private hospitals often refuse to attend patients from the
\nlower-income classes, while the dilapidated state-run hospitals
\noften offer only poor quality services.<\/p>\n
\"We'd look into it... and when there is such a thing, we would
\nsend a stern warning letter to the hospital,\" Suyudi said.<\/p>\n
\"The condition in the field in very unpredictable, and there
\nis no such thing as a perfect system.\"<\/p>",
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