Standardization of hospital equipment urged<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In an attempt to meet massive domestic demand
\nfor affordable and secure health machinery, the Indonesian
\nHospital Association (Persi) called on Monday for the
\nstandardization of the country's health equipment.<\/p>\n
"It's outrageous that all along we don't have any institution
\nin charge of regulating the standard quality for health tools in
\nthe country," the association's chief of general affairs Robert
\nImam Sutedja said during a media briefing.<\/p>\n
An authorized board that can declare the safety and quality of
\nthe devices used in the treatment of humans must be established,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
"Political will from the government is badly needed. We are
\ntalking about people's lives here," he said, adding that the
\nboard can be facilitated by the health ministry along with the
\nAgency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).<\/p>\n
The ironic thing is that many Indonesian health products are
\nexported overseas and hospitals end up buying them back with
\ncertified foreign labels and at much higher prices, Robert said.<\/p>\n
He cited an example of how hospitals still imported a simple
\nChinese-made incubator worth some Rp 15 million, which would be a
\nlot cheaper if it was produced here.<\/p>\n
"Such things happen due to the fact that we do not know the
\nquality of our own country's products. We don't know whether the
\nincubator will burn the baby, do we?" he said.<\/p>\n
A total of 1,100 hospitals also have to struggle to maintain
\ntheir quality and service given the country is still suffering
\nfrom an economic crisis.<\/p>\n
The depreciation of the rupiah against the dollar in 1998
\ncaused a surge in the cost of imported medicines and health
\nequipment by almost 300 percent.<\/p>\n
"Once prices go up, they are unlikely to go down," association
\nchairman A.W. Boediarso lamented.<\/p>\n
In a bid to cope with the problem, a Group Purchase Alliance
\n(GPA) between the association and the Australian Medical Solution
\nwas set up earlier this year, aiming at purchasing good quality
\nbut affordable drugs and medical devices.<\/p>\n
"This way we can buy any medicine from any country and the
\nprice will be transparent and far cheaper. No more cheating. For
\ninstance, the price of antibiotics in a small health clinic will
\nbe equal to the price in major hospitals," Boediarso said.<\/p>\n
Australia has developed a specific industry for medical
\nsupplies for over 70 years, he said.<\/p>\n
"The spirometer, a device used to measure the capacity of
\nlungs, can be bought at around A$10,000 to $12,000, cheaper than
\nthe price here," Boediarso added.<\/p>\n
Persi also signed on Monday an agreement with Catcha.com to
\nbecome its prime health website at www.pdpersi.co.id.<\/p>\n
Dubbed the most complete health website in Indonesia, it
\ncontains a directory of more than 300 hospitals in eight
\nprovinces of West, Central and East Java, Bali, Aceh, West
\nKalimantan, North Sumatra and South Sumatra.<\/p>\n
"We hope to complete it soon for all 27 provinces.<\/p>\n
"A hospital price list, the names of the doctors and their
\nspecializations, consultation features, scientific and medical
\nnews, medical technology and suppliers along with education info
\ncan all be accessed here. So people can have options," he said.<\/p>\n
The association will hold its 8th Congress jointly with the
\n13th Hospital Technology Expo at the Jakarta Convention Center
\nfrom Nov. 5 until Nov. 9, with the topic being the Improvement of
\nHealth Services Towards the Asian Free Trade Agreement (AFTA)
\n2003.<\/p>\n
"We will discuss the management of hospitals, policies on the
\nprice of drugs and medical devices, and the possibility of
\nforeign medical experts thronging this country," he said. (edt)<\/p>",
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