Health services for all groups better this year

JAKARTA (JP): The year 1994 saw a genuine attempt by the government to expand health services for the poor people besides for the wealthier members of society.

The Ministry of Health launched a "health card" intended for needy people. The card entitles the holder to free medical services.

This replaced the old program which also offered free health care, but had procedures so arduous that most people shunned the system and paid for their health care. The new health card system bypasses all the red tape.

The expansion of the health services for the poor is in keeping with the government's resolution to improve the welfare of the nearly 26 million people in the country who still live below the poverty line.

The health card system was originally planned for next year but the government accelerated its schedule to start on this year's National Health Day on Nov. 12, when it distributed five million cards to poor people throughout the country.

However, the underprivileged did not monopolize all of the attention and energy of the Ministry of Health in 1994.

The ministry is also drawing up a program of action to deal with the "rich man's diseases" whose occurrence is now beginning to increase in at accelerating rates among Indonesian urbanites.

Changing life styles due to improvements in economic conditions have caused people to consume more western fast food, which is high in carbohydrate, fat, salt and cholesterol, all of which are major causes of heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease is now the number one killer in Indonesia's large cities -- up from number 11 some 20 years ago.

The Ministry of Health has also recognized the role of traditional medicine, a change of policy that was brought about after Minister Sujudi's return from a visit to China, where the practice coexists with conventional, modern medicine.

Sujudi said the government is now studying the possibility of integrating traditional medicine into the national health services system.

The free trade wind also blew into the health sector.

In October, Sujudi announced that Indonesia is considering opening its door to foreign businesses seeking to invest in hospitals.

Some people have expressed misgivings about this idea, pointing out that a hospital has a social function, to serve the public, and should not be built along commercial lines.

Doctors, also received their share of the limelight this year.

The Indonesian Medical Association announced this month its plan to set up a "complaint bureau" to replace other less specific bodies, such as the Indonesian Consumers Agency, in dealing with the growing number of complaints about medical care from the public. (pwn)