Heart patients have to queue due to limited funds
JAKARTA (JP): Limited funds have forced many heart patients assisted by the Indonesian Heart Foundation (YJI) to queue before they can get treatment. Sometimes the waiting period is as long as two years.
"Our funds are very limited, while surgery costs a lot. For one patient, we need at least Rp 7.5 million (US$3,460), therefore they have to wait for a long time," Aulia Sani, deputy chairman for medical aid section of the foundation, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.
She added that this year the foundation's budget is limited to only 48 patients. She said there are still 229 heart patients from all provinces awaiting surgery. Some of them have been waiting for two years and, due to the long list, the foundation gives priority to those who come first.
"Last year we helped around 80 patients, but this year the number has declined because one of our Dutch sponsors has discontinued their assistance," she said.
The Netherlands' There de Homes foundation was one of YJI's sponsors, but it has allocated its fund for victims of other diseases, said Aulia.
Besides its sponsors, including some from Australia, YJI also holds annual golf tournaments and regular charity nights to generate funds, she said.
Established in 1974, the foundation aims to help people with heart problems who are also financially incapable of getting proper medical treatments. As of today, the foundation has assisted around 1,061 patients from all over the country by providing the funds needed either for surgery or other medical treatments.
Cooperation
"In Jakarta, we cooperate with the Harapan Kita, Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) and Gatot Subroto hospitals," Aulia added.
According to Aulia, nearly 50 percent of the heart patients assisted by the foundation are from the greater Jakarta area.
"It is possibly because here we have more cardiologists and hospitals, so if they feel something wrong they can go to see the doctors immediately," Aulia said.
She added that greater public awareness of health and the impact of big city lifestyles are other factors which means the foundation has more Jakartans to help.
"Living in big cities can be more stressful for us. Therefore, people who live in such a big city as Jakarta should observe what we call YJI's ways of staying healthy ," Aulia said, adding that staying healthy the YJI way can be achieved through a balanced diet of nutritious food, avoiding smoking and stress, being careful with blood pressure and regular exercises.
"And we have to know how to choose healthy and safe foods, especially because we have more and more patients who get the disease due to high cholesterol levels in blood," she explained. (als)