Sutiyoso defends new hospital status<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Despite mounting protests against the corporatization of three
\ncity-run hospitals, Governor Sutiyoso refuses to reverse the
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated Mar. 8, Sutiyoso told the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs that the policy could be revoked through a presidential
\ndecree or a Supreme Court ruling.<\/p>\n
"The main objective of the change of status is to boost the
\nquality of service to the public," Sutiyoso asserted, arguing
\nthat the change of status would not affect its preferential
\ntreatment for the poor.<\/p>\n
The ministry of home affairs sent a letter to the Jakarta
\nadministration last Feb. 14, urging it to revoke its decision to
\nturn three hospitals -- RSUD Pasar Rebo, RS Haji in Pondok Gede,
\nboth in East Jakarta, and RSUD Cengkareng in West Jakarta -- into
\nprofit-oriented hospitals.<\/p>\n
The ministry argued that the corporatization of the three
\nhospitals was "against the common good of the people".<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said Article 145 of Law No. 32\/2004 on regional
\ngovernments stipulates that any revocation of a city bylaw can
\nonly be carried out through a presidential decree or judicial
\nreview made by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, around 500 residents of Gedong, Ciracas, Cijantung
\nand Pondok Gede subdistricts -- all located near the Pasar Rebo
\nhospital -- staged a rally in front of the City Council on
\nWednesday to protest the hospital's "high" health service fees.<\/p>\n
"After the change of status, Pasar Rebo hospital raised its
\nregistration fee from Rp 2,000 to Rp 5,000, not to mention the
\nincreased service fees," said Pius Toa, a resident of Gedong
\nsubdistrict in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Pius said the increase was too much for residents on a low-
\nincome.<\/p>\n
City Health Agency head Abdul Chalik Masulili emphasized
\nearlier that the change in status was only meant to give leeway
\nto the respective hospital managements to manage their own
\nresources and raise fund from sources other than the cash-
\nstrapped city budget, including by taking profit from richer
\npatients.<\/p>\n
Masulili said that the agency would still require those
\nhospitals to maintain a minimum 50 percent of their total rooms,
\nemergency room services (UGD) and out-patient services for the
\npoor.<\/p>\n
Aside from those three hospitals, the administration also
\nplans to corporatize three other city-run hospitals -- Tarakan
\nHospital in Central Jakarta, Koja Hospital in North Jakarta and
\nBudi Asih Hospital in East Jakarta.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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