Doctor fees to be regulated

Doctor fees to be regulated

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI)
yesterday promised that it will regulate fees its members charge
to members of the public within three years.

IDI Chairman Azrul Azwar said after meeting with Vice
President Try Sutrisno yesterday that some members of the
profession had opposed the attempt to regulate the fees because
it would give the impression that the medical practice is a
business concern and not a social concern as it should be.

Azrul said there is now a consensus among members about the
need to put some order in the way doctors charge their patients
because of the increasing number of complaints about hefty
medical bills and large variations from doctor to doctor.

The regulation on medical fees should be completed within
three years, he added.

Azrul, who assumed the IDI top post early this year to replace
Kartono Mohammad, said he personally thought the fees should be
regulated although he understood the concerns of those who
object.

In the meantime, he said members of the public are urged to
report their complaints with the association regarding medical
fees. IDI will take stern action against its members who violate
the doctors' code of ethics, he added.

Azrul, along with other IDI board members Merdias Almatsier
Ihsan Oetama and Purnomo Prawiro yesterday reported to Try about
the results of the recent IDI congress.

One of the resolutions is the launching of the concept family
medical practitioners, beginning next year.

Under the concept, a doctor is encouraged to take a more
active part in the health care of a client's family, making
periodic house calls and providing advice on preventive measures.

He said Indonesia now has a "surplus" of doctors after the
government decided to limit the annual intake of new doctors to
be employed as civil servants working at state hospitals.

These "surplus" doctors have to open private practices.

Azwar denied the suggestion that big cities, particularly
Jakarta, has more doctors than it needs while outlying regions
have a severe shortage. He underlined that Jakarta and its nine
million population needs plenty of doctors. (emb)