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)