Confusion hampers dengue treatment
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
There continues to be confusion over the implementation of the government's promise to provide free medical care for poor dengue fever patients, while the death toll from the dengue outbreak, at 322 on Sunday, is expected to rise.
In Jambi, the mother of two dengue patients at a state-run hospital said she had to pay not only for medicine, but also for infusions and food, Antara reported. The Raden Mattaher Hospital ran out of drugs and they had to be purchased elsewhere, said Fenny, whose two children were recovering from dengue. Jambi is among 24 provinces affected by the disease, which is caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
According to reports, the standard procedure of checking patients' blood every two hours is not being followed at hospitals that lack the necessary funds. In some cases, the blood checks are taking place every six hours.
Jambi Governor Zulkifli Nurdin urged the Ministry of Health to clarify the policy of free treatment for poor patients.
"The policy must be made clearer as all patients are asking the government to pay their hospital bills," Zulkifli said.
The government declared the dengue outbreak an extraordinary occurrence and announced that it would pay for treatment for patients, particularly the poor. However, many poor patients have been told they must pay for their own care because the most inexpensive third-class wards at many hospital are full.
"For first-class and second-class wards, the patients have to pay normal prices," the director of Raden Mattaher Hospital, Hetyanto Hendardji, said.
Another dengue patient, Syamsul Bahri, urged the government to foot the bill for all patients, given that many were poor people forced to occupy first and second-class wards due to a lack of space.
Poor patients have also reported difficulty gaining free treatment unless they present government-issued cards proving they are from needy families.
The head of the Southeast Sulawesi General Hospital, Zamrud, said free treatment for dengue patients was not an official policy from the Ministry of Health.
"It is just an appeal, so we have not yet implemented it," Zamrud said on Sunday.
He said the hospital, in addition to living up to its social duty to treat the poor, had to focus on turning a profit in order to increase provincial revenue.
The dengue outbreak continues to spread, with 17,300 people infected as of Saturday, according to the Ministry of Health.
The districts of Grabag, Muntilan and Mertoyudan in Magelang, Central Java, have been declared dengue fever endemic zones.
"The three districts are vulnerable to the outbreak, although the situation has not yet reached emergency status," Magelang Health Agency head Sutjipto said on Sunday.
In West Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, 41 people have been infected with dengue fever, with two deaths.
"Our last report stated three new cases in West Aceh," Aceh Health Agency head Media Yulizar said on Sunday.