Central government tells Sutiyoso to bring public hospitals back
Central government tells Sutiyoso to bring public hospitals back
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The central government requested the Jakarta administration
resume control of the newly corporatized hospitals in the city as
it fears their new status will adversely affect services to the
poor.
In a copy of letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs received
by the administration on Tuesday, the ministry said the
corporatization of the formerly city-run hospitals was clearly
"against the public interest" and failed to address the provision
of social services.
The letter, signed by the ministry's secretary general, Siti
Nurbaya, and dated Feb. 14, noted that the decision had caused
protests by civil servants in the three hospitals -- Cengkareng
Hospital in West Jakarta, the Haj Hospital and Pasar Rebo
Hospital, both in East Jakarta.
"We ask the Governor (Sutiyoso) to end the implementation of
the bylaws (on corporatization) and for the city council to
repeal them forthwith," the letter stated.
Siti Nurbaya said the ministry had asked the Jakarta
administration to report progress on the repeal no later than 15
days after the date of the letter -- or March 1.
Sutiyoso said the administration was discussing the response
to the letter. He planned to defend the decision personally to
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
"We have strong arguments ... Unlike less-developed cities of
the country, Jakarta is in dire need of more competitive
hospitals," he said.
City Health Agency head Abdul Chalik Masulili said changing
the hospitals into corporate entities would not mean the poor
received less health services.
"The change of status is only meant to give leeway to the
respective hospital managements to manage their own resources and
raise funds from sources other than the cash-strapped city
budget," Masulili said in a hearing with the council's Commission
E overseeing education and health on Tuesday.
Corporatized hospitals would continue to dedicate a minimum of
50 percent of their total rooms, emergency care and out-patient
departments for low-income patients, he said.
"The hospital managements are able to take profits from
services they provide to richer patients in their high-cost rooms
to subsidize services for the poor," he said.
He added that the lion's share of the profit, or about 80
percent, would be used to improve services, while the remaining
20 percent would go into city coffers.
The administration is planning to incorporate three more city-
run hospitals: Tarakan Hospital in Central Jakarta, Koja Hospital
in North Jakarta and Budi Asih Hospital in East Jakarta.