Bogor hospital keeps mom, baby in bill row

BOGOR (JP): A 42-year-old mother, Rince, and her new-born baby were not allowed to leave the Karya Bhakti hospital here due to unpaid bills for a caesarean section and a week-long stay following the operation.

The hospital's legal representative, Nursahati Osli, said over the weekend that Rince's husband, Tipan Siahaan, could only afford to pay Rp 1.5 million (US$187.50) out of the total hospital bill of Rp 4,001,500 and left an official notification of being a destitute resident with the hospital management.

"A patient has the right to get maximum medical treatment from a hospital, and that right has been fulfilled by the hospital," Nursahati said.

"Rince and her baby are fine and healthy now.

"Therefore, she must fulfill her obligation to pay for all the hospital's services," Nursahati said.

Rince was supposed to leave the hospital on Aug. 2, as stated by the hospital, she said.

"At that time, the family was supposed to pay the full amount of Rp 4,001,500 but Tipan said he could not afford to do so.

"Therefore, the hospital went over the bill and cut some expenses. We came out with a maximum reduction of Rp 231,500," Nursahati said.

Even with reducing the bill, Tipan cannot afford to pay.

He was given three days (since Aug. 2) to make the payment, otherwise, the hospital would hold his wife and the baby.

"But after that period of time he failed to pay and eventually the hospital ordered the patient to go home, on Aug. 7, on the understanding that they still had a debt to pay," Nursahati said.

Tipan, however, refused to sign a predischarge letter stating an obligation to pay the hospital bill in return for Rince and the baby's release.

"He even decided to pass the case to a lawyer from the Legal Aid Foundation's health affairs," she said, adding that actually, if Tipan was willing to sign the letter, he would be given enough time to pay the bill.

To avoid adding to the bill, the hospital administration instructed the mother and baby to go home last Friday, the same day he spoke to reporters.

A day earlier, Tipan, in the company of some MKGR Party members, reported the case to detectives to National Police Headquarters in Jakarta.

After lodging his complaint, Tipan told reporters that he had admitted his pregnant wife to the hospital on July 24.

"She gave birth to our child at the hospital on July 26. Four days later, the hospital felt that both mother and child were healthy enough to be discharged, and billed me Rp 4 million," Tipan said.

"I'm very poor. With great difficulty, I have collected Rp 1 million. I even got a letter of destitute resident from the head of the Ciampea district to inform the hospital management that I'm poor," he added.

"The hospital then decided to cut Rp 231,500 from the total bill. But still I can't afford to pay the rest."

In turn, the hospital refused to release both Tipan's wife and the baby.

"I don't know what to do."

Until Sunday, it remained unclear whether Tipan's wife and their baby have really left the hospital, as journalists were barred from seeing the family for further confirmation and Tipan could not be reached. (24/edt/ylt)