Doctors estimate Rp 267m for Soeharto's treatment

JAKARTA (JP): The state-appointed team of physicians has estimated that the state will need to provide Rp 267 million (US$267,000) to cover the cost of six month's treatment for former president Soeharto, plus another Rp 400 million as emergency funds.

Deputy chairman of the team of physicians from the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Yusuf Misbach, said on Monday that they had calculated that some Rp 44.5 million would be needed per month for such things as medicines, laboratory analysis and neurological treatment.

"We may not spend all the Rp 44.5 million per month as the treatment may cost less than that. But we are proposing this amount to the government as the maximum expenditure for necessary treatments," he told journalists at the hospital.

Hermansyur Kartowisastro, a member of the team, said they had also given a gross estimate of the emergency funds which would only be used if Soeharto suffered a serious medical condition during the treatment.

"We have to allocate funds for possible expenses if Soeharto were to undergo surgery or have a heart attack or a stroke. Treatment in an emergency unit costs Rp 2 million per day, excluding the medicines," Hermansyur, who is also the director of the hospital, said.

He explained that doctors' fees were not included in the allocated Rp 44.5 million.

"But we have proposed Rp 5.716 million per month for the 23- member team's operational expenses," he said.

At a meeting in the hospital director's room, the doctors gave the state prosecutors their gross estimate of expenses for the next six months which will later be submitted to the finance ministry.

Hermansyur said that during the first month of treatment, the team had used the hospital's money since the government had yet to disburse its funds.

The team of doctors are providing neurological treatment to the ailing 79-year-old former ruler, who suffered three strokes after leaving his post in the middle of 1998. They will commence psychiatric treatment next month.

Last year, a district court dropped the case against Soeharto, the suspect in a US$571 million graft case, as he had failed to attend the trial due to ill-health.

Early last month, the Supreme Court ordered the prosecutors to put Soeharto's medical treatment under the state's supervision, with all costs to be borne by the state.

Hermansyur said the doctors would do their best to cure Soeharto, adding that they were still studying the criteria for a "fit condition to stand trial".

"However, in principle, we don't hospitalize a patient for a long period of time because there are some consequences, including infection or becoming distressed," he said. (bby)