Experts warn public against crimes by health professionals

JAKARTA (JP): Three experts warned the public against white- collar crimes by medical professionals, particularly because such crimes are rarely prosecuted successfully by the authorities.

Agus Purwadianto, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's School of Medicine, said on Saturday that malpractice and collusion in the medical profession are rampant in big cities, especially in Jakarta.

He said that many lawsuits have been filed against doctors for alleged malpractice but only a few doctors have been found guilty. Despite the new laws on health care, such cases are still difficult to prove.

"Many health practitioners who have committed malpractice have sought protection under the medical code of ethics," he said at a seminar on the medical code of ethics and the law hosted by Atma Jaya University.

Agus, chairman of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), said that many doctors have also ordered unnecessary medical treatments to make money from patients. He cited patients with minor ailments who were advised to undergo numerous expensive medical tests, after which, he said, they were prescribed relatively cheap medication.

Widespread suspected collusion between doctors and pharmaceuticals in selling medicines to patients were not easy to prove, Agus said. The overprescription of costly medications has been partially blamed on such collusive practices, which have only been countered by a government campaign promoting the use of generic drugs.

Hermien Hadiwati Koeswadji, a professor of law at the University of Airlangga in Surabaya, East Java, called on the public to report suspected cases of malpractice or collusion between health professionals and pharmaceuticals to the medical association.

"Besides imposing administrative sanctions for breaching the medical code of ethics, IDI should also be encouraged to help law enforcers investigate doctors who commit white-collar crimes," she said, adding that the police, government prosecutors and judges should also have the skills to investigate such cases.

Hermien also called on the general public, including the press and consumer organizations, to be active in monitoring health services.

K. Bertens of the Center of Ethics Development Studies at Atma Jaya University, said all hospitals in the country should have implemented standard medical services for all kinds of diseases in order to minimize unnecessary costs and the possibilities of malpractice. He also said that hospitals should be transparent in providing health services to the public. (rms)