Club helps patients manage health
By Stevie Emilia
JAKARTA (JP): Suffering from any kind of health problem may make people feel vulnerable and unsure about everything. The slightest symptoms can easily create anxiety and worry.
"Is it true that drinking coffee will make my hypertension worse?" asked a man.
Others asked: "Why does my palm get cold when I am nervous? Is it a symptom of heart disease?" "Is it all right to take traditional medicine along with prescribed medicine?" "Is it all right for those suffering hypertension to exercise?"
These were just some of the questions raised by patients during a seminar held on Saturday organized by Klub Hidup Sehat (the Healthy Life Club) at the National Library in Salemba, Central Jakarta. The club, which was set up in February, is the first of its kind in Indonesia to provide education about disease management.
Medical specialist Pudji Rahardjo, one of the seminar speakers, answered the questions patiently.
"There's not much research being done which directly relates hypertension and coffee drinking. So it can't be said for sure...," said the intern. "And it's ordinary for one's palm to get cold, it's not a symptom of hypertension or heart disease."
In response to the question about taking traditional medicine along with prescribed drugs to cure hypertension, he said: "I can't answer that question. A doctor's work is based on facts and data. Unfortunately, I don't have data that traditional medicine can be used to fight hypertension, but I can't say it's useless either, simply because I don't have the data."
He also said exercise would help those suffering from hypertension -- as long as their blood pressure readings were not critical and of course based on a doctor's advice.
"But the exercises are not ones to enlarge one's muscles, but dynamic ones, such as walking, jogging, cycling and swimming. And the timing should be adjusted to one's condition. It's usually measured by one's age and his or her heart pulse," Pudji told the seminar's participants.
Klub Hidup Sehat, better known as KHS by its members, is sponsored by the giant pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, which recently made headlines with its wonder drug Viagra. The educational program, targeting patients with chronic diseases, is part of the company's campaign to create an image which sells health.
Many people have expressed an interest to join the group. In February, there were 425 participating patients, 445 medical doctors and 324 pharmacies and Prodia labs. Currently, the club has 925 patients, 775 medical doctors and 418 pharmacies participating in its programs.
Pfizer's public affairs manager Shanti Shamdasani said KHS was set up with the intention of educating chronic patients about their diseases, so that they can help their doctors to take better care of themselves. The company, which also holds similar programs in Brazil, was reluctant to reveal their budget for the program.
When asked how Pfizer came up with the idea to set up the club, she said: "We see a lot of patients with poor compliance -- they are neither taking drugs or consulting doctors. There are many patients who self-administer their medications and who end up with more serious and more costly complications."
And Pfizer believes KHS will really help.
"You see, educating patients about their diseases will enable patients to manage his or her disease in a better manner, which may result in the patient avoiding serious illness. If one is able to manage one's disease, following information in our education book, then one can stay healthy and will avoid serious illness, hence avoid the expensive hospitalization costs. Moreover, the patient will enjoy a better quality of life if he/she maintains good health."
But the club is not simply about education, or management of diseases. It also offers extra attention. Twice a month, each member gets a reminder card to help them with medicine compliance and to remind them not to miss their doctors appointment. It also sends birthday cards to its members.
"One of our members, an old woman, said she was very happy to receive the cards, because in her old age, her children do not have enough time to ask her about her medicine compliance. This made her feel happy, and for a while she forgot about her disease," Shanti said.
Membership
Unlike other clubs in the city, Klub Hidup Sehat charges nothing, not even a registration fee or an annual fee.
To become members, one only has to visit a KHS doctor -- doctors who have become members of the program -- fill out a form, which later will be signed by the doctor, and post it to the club.
Within 10 working days, the patients will receive the first package of a KHS membership card and a master binder with the names, addresses and practicing times of KHS doctors, the list of doctors by category, pharmacies and Prodia labs.
On a monthly basis, each member also receives educational materials with a range of topics covering all aspects of general health. All members can also take part in a health seminar, held three times a year.
Members are entitled to a 10 percent discount when purchasing Pfizer products supporting this program. The products target serious health problems -- hypertension, diabetes, depression, prostatism and rheumatism. It also provides a 7.5 percent discount on lab test at all Prodia labs and free testing of blood sugar levels at Pfizer branch offices.
"I've experienced the benefit of joining KHS, especially in regard to the discounted medicine," Eirene Telaumbanua, who became a KHS member last month, told The Jakarta Post. The mother of three is suffering from hypertension.
"But I wish, during economic situations like now, that we could receive more discounts, not only the 10 percent one."
Apart from praising the discount benefits of the program, she also urged KHS organizers to hold similar programs in other cities, to enable patients to obtain the benefits of their membership while traveling. The program is currently available in Bandung, Jakarta, Medan Semarang and Surabaya.
Another member, hypertension patient Priyono Setiawan G., 53, wanted to obtain reduced drug prices by joining KHS.
Unfortunately, he discovered that the price of the drug he used, Norvask, was higher in KHS pharmacies than in non-KHS pharmacies.
He said the price of Norvask in KHS pharmacies was approximately Rp 9,000 per tablet and with the 10 percent discount he had to pay about Rp 8,000 per tablet. "But in a non- KHS pharmacy that I regularly visited, it sells for Rp 8,000 per tablet. So there's no difference," Priyono told the Post.
He said that in a drug store, the same medicine was sold at an even lower price -- Rp 4,500 per tablet.
Commenting on these price discrepancies, Shanti said Pfizer was unaware of the different prices, but she believed the distributor would sell the drug at the same price to pharmacies or drug stores.
She said pharmacies needed substantial investment compared to drugstores at roadsides.
"Pharmacies need to hire pharmacists, acquire permits, comply with guidelines, have proper cleanliness and other factors. They are also very strict, such as in the reporting of medicines sold and to whom." She advised individuals that it was better to buy drugs at pharmacies than from drug stores, so that the patient would not receive second rate or even fake drugs.