American university, Gleneagles sign deal

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): The Siloam Gleneagles hospital, the first hospital set up under the foreign investment scheme in the country, and the University of Southern California signed a deal on technology transfer yesterday.

Gleneagles was represented by its president, Johannes Oentoro and the University of Southern California was represented by its Technology Transfer Director Pablo Valencia.

Also present were Joseph P. Van Der Meulen, vice president of the university's health affairs.

Under the agreement, Gleneagles doctors will be trained by the university's staff and provided with the latest medical information and technologies.

Some of the trainees would be sent to California and others would get in-house training by the Californian teachers.

Oentoro said the agreement was to promote education, training, research and technology transfer in health care from the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

The Siloam Gleneagles Hospital now employs about 200 doctors, including specialists.

"However, only about 30 percent of the doctors are full- timers," Oentoro said after the signing ceremony.

He said the rest of the doctors were part-timers recruited from hospitals in Jakarta, including the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital.

The US$49 million-Siloam Gleneagles Hospital, which started operating January 1996 was officially opened to the public in September. It is the first hospital operating under the foreign investment scheme in Indonesia, and a joint venture between LippoLand Development of Indonesia and Gleneagles International of Singapore.

According to Indonesian law, privately-funded hospitals must set aside about 10 percent of their beds for the poor at reduced fees.

However, reports say the regulation is ineffective as most poor people feel intimidated just by the "look" of such hospitals and tend to seek treatment elsewhere.

Oentoro denied the reports, saying many poor people had had medical treatment in his hospital.

"Until now, we have set aside 11.7 percent of our 80 beds for charity. Some of the patients even came from out of town," Oentoro said. "The patients just show a letter of recommendation from their doctors, stating they could not afford to pay the hospital."

Gleneagles have agreed to assist three hospitals in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara; Manado, North Sulawesi; and Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi, to improve their human resources, facilities and medical supplies.

"We have told the hospitals to send at least two nurses to be trained here after Idul Fitri," Oentoro said.

Minister of Health Sujudi urged earlier private hospitals to assist clinics and rural community health centers, which represent the backbone of health services for low-income families.

"We expect to assist more hospitals, but we're still new and have to manage our hospital first," Oentoro said.

Oentoro said Gleneagles expected to reach 100 percent occupancy by the end of the year. "Currently our occupancy rate is about 52 percent from 80 beds available," Oentoro said. The hospital is scheduled to have 328 beds.

Oentoro said 60 to 70 percent of the hospital patients came from the Tangerang area. (ste)