Govt to probe hospital's alleged anti-AIDS policy
JAKARTA (JP): The government has ordered an investigation into the conduct of Medistra, a private hospital in Jakarta, following allegations that it has discriminated against AIDS patients.
Suheni Sudjatmiko, the head of the Ministry of Health's public affairs department, said yesterday that the Ministry has requested that its Jakarta office look into the matter.
"In principle, based on the national strategy on the containment of AIDS, there should be no discrimination against AIDS patients," Suheni told The Jakarta Post.
"The Director General of Medical Services, in his capacity as a member of the National Commission for the Containment of AIDS, has also asked the Coordinator of the Commission to look into the matter," she said.
Meanwhile, the commission, which is chaired by Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas, is also looking into the matter.
Suyono Yahya, one of Azwar's staff members, said the Commission is prepared to clarify the national strategy in dealing with AIDS should need be.
The commission will first check up on the relationship of the Medistra management and Sjamsuridjal with the Ministry's Director General of Medical Services, he said.
Sjamsuridjal Djauzi, the doctor, said at a press conference held by the Indonesian Medical Association on Saturday that he had also been asked to stop treating all hospital patients. The management, however, has fallen short of firing him.
A secretary at the hospital, located in South Jakarta, said that the management was meeting yesterday to discuss the matter and will issue a statement to the press today.
The Indonesian Consumer's Foundation, YLKI, yesterday said it was outraged by Medistra's "discriminative" practices against AIDS patients.
"The discriminative services towards patients with AIDS at the Medistra hospital in Jakarta is outrageous and is a threat to efforts to overcome AIDS in Indonesia," it said in a statement.
YLKI also criticized Minister of Health Sujudi, saying that his expression of regret at Medistra's action was not enough.
"YLKI is concerned that Minister of Health Sujudi only regretted the incidence....(He) should investigate the problem and immediately take firm action...to prevent the same treatment from being practiced by other hospitals."
Sujudi's remarks were published in the Republika daily newspaper yesterday.
Sjamsuridjal said on Saturday that he had been treating three AIDS patients at Medistra for the last six months.
"I don't know what the fate of the patients is now," he said.
"I have not been dismissed by the hospital...the management only barred me from treating patients," he added.
He refuted the management's argument that Medistra lacked equipment and specialists to deal with AIDS cases, pointing out that the hospital had three internists, including himself.
The Indonesian Medical Association on Saturday supported Sjamsuridjal and appealed to all hospitals to keep their doors open to people with AIDS.
The association stressed the need for a more professional relationship between doctors and hospital managements.
YLKI also stated that "there is still excessive fear among health personnel" towards patients with HIV/AIDS, indicated by the hospital's "isolation of a medical professional who understands HIV/AIDS."
"This incident shows that the Ministry of Health has not succeeded in distributing information on patients with HIV/AIDS," YLKI said. (anr)