Hospital denies charging patients

Hospital denies charging patients

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State-run Harapan Kita Hospital in West Jakarta denied a report
that it had continued to charge poor dengue fever patients in
spite of a nationwide program that provided free medical
treatment.

Hospital spokeswoman Marina Sidabutar told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday that the hospital continued to provide free medical
treatment to dengue patients staying in the third-class ward.

"Dengue patients placed in third-class will automatically get
free treatment. It doesn't matter whether or not they obtain
letters from subdistrict offices proving they are poor," she
said.

However, if laboratory test results showed patients did not
suffer from dengue, then they had to pay for treatment, she said.

The Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), Jakarta Pedicab Association
and the Jakarta Poor Residents Network issued a report on Friday
that dengue patients at the hospital had to pay between Rp
400,000 (US$46.5) and Rp 680,000 for a three-day treatment in the
third-class ward.

Marina said there was a possibility that the laboratory test
results contradicted patients' claims they suffered from dengue.

However, she also admitted there might be a misunderstanding
between hospital administrators and patients about the costs of
medical treatment.

"Why would we charge the patients if we get a full
reimbursement from the Jakarta Health Agency to treat the
patients?" she said.

Marina said if the patients truly suffered from dengue fever
and had to pay for third-class ward treatment, the hospital would
return the money as long as the patients could show all the
receipts, the doctor's examination results and their ID cards.

The UPC has however insisted on reporting the alleged
violations to the health agency.

"We will report hospitals violating the policy including the
Harapan Kita Hospital and the Suliyanti Saroso Hospital for
Infectious Disease to the agency. We checked with the patients
and they never received receipts," the UPC's Berkah Gamulya told
the Post.

According to Gamulya, the UPC had reported its findings to the
hospital but had received no response. The hospital
administrators claimed they did not respond quickly to the report
"due to the huge amount of dengue patients admitted to the
hospital".

The UPC is currently collecting evidence about the case.