Govt initiates hospital accreditation system
Govt initiates hospital accreditation system
JAKARTA (JP): The government has started a pilot project to
start an accreditation system for hospitals, a mechanism which
will inform the public about the standard of the facilities being
offered by hospitals in the country.
Minister of Health Sujudi said that 10 hospitals, mostly
government-run but also include one or two private hospitals,
have been assessed for the government's accreditation.
The results of the tests, conducted by the Directorate General
of Medical Care, are still being analyzed, Sujudi said.
He did not say when the government is expected to announce the
results, which will rate hospitals according to their services.
Under the accreditation system, each hospital must pass
certain minimum standards, he said on Friday.
This does not mean that the government will close down the
hospitals that fail to fulfill the requirements. Instead, he
said, they will be given a period of time to make amends.
The system was introduced following the mounting public
criticism of hospitals and their services.
Five aspects are being assessed for accreditation:
administration and management; medical services; treatment
services; emergency care; and medical records.
The accreditation system will supplement the current hospital
rating system, which places hospitals into one of four categories
according to their location and facilities.
The highest category is Class A. Only hospitals located in
provincial capitals are categorized as A or B. Class C is for
hospitals located outside provincial capitals while Class D
groups those hospitals with the fewest facilities.
The Indonesian Medical Association has endorsed the
accreditation idea as means of improving the quality of hospitals
and their services.
Association chairman Azrul Azwar told The Jakarta Post that
the system will also prevent patients from falling prey to the
"commercial" practices of hospitals.
Many hospitals which cater to the wealthy have been accused of
grossly overcharging patients for minor services.
The "upmarket" hospitals, which do not object to the idea of
accreditation, deny ever having overcharged clients. They point
to 1992 statistics which show that private hospitals in Indonesia
racked up combined financial losses of Rp 100 million per year
because their patients haven't paid up their bills.
During a meeting with the House of Representatives earlier
this month, Azrul alleged that many private hospitals have been
subjecting their patients to unnecessary tests to bring up the
cost of their medical bills. (31)