Doctors urged not to increase fees

JAKARTA (JP): The chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Azrul Azwar urged physicians yesterday not to add to the financial burden of patients which is already expected to increase with the scheduled rise in medicine prices.

"IDI has never suggested doctors increase their billing," he said.

But Azrul conceded that the association could not censure doctors who have allegedly raised their consultation fees. Doctors who practice privately are free to set their own prices.

"It is the doctors who decide their own fees, it's very individual," he told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Minister of Health Sujudi recently appealed to doctors to maintain fees at a reasonable rate.

While there are still no widespread reports of doctors hiking their price, some sort of increase is expected due to the crisis which has plagued the economy.

The price of generic and patent drugs is also due to rise in stages starting in April by as much as 45 percent.

Some dispensaries have already reportedly raised the price of medicine following the fall of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

Azrul said the cost of treatment in hospitals would likely increase to meet the soaring price of drugs.

Mitra Keluarga Hospital's marketing manager, Dr. Rudy Cahyadi admitted that the hospital may soon have to increase its fees as the hospital has to pay more for imported drugs used in examinations.

"The price of laboratory and X-ray examinations and medical diagnosis such as heart catheterization will certainly increase," he told The Post.

He said doctors fees would not likely rise in the near future as they are more concerned with helping cure people rather than making money.

"It's not yet time to talk about it. People come to hospitals because they are in trouble, they do not come here for recreation purposes such as shopping," he said. (09)