Club helps patients manage health

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.