Hospitals accused of malpractice
Hospitals accused of malpractice
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Tangerang
Relatives of two patients being treated at Siloam Gleneagles
Hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, and Medistra Hospital in Central
Jakarta, reported the hospitals on Tuesday to the Jakarta Police
for alleged malpractice.
Both hospitals denied the allegations.
Accompanied by Iskandar Sitorus of the Health Legal Aid
Institute, Lenny Francisca, 50, told the police that Siloam
Gleneagles Hospital refused to release her husband, Leonardus
Pieter Herklos, until the Rp 50 million (US$5,434) hospital bill
was paid.
She said Leonardus, a driver, was hospitalized since Aug. 16
with breathing problems. Doctors performed a gastroenterostomy a
week later without Lenny's consent. After five hours of surgery,
the doctors found the problem was a burst abscess on Leonardus'
liver.
The doctors said on Sept. 3 that Leonardus was able to go
home, but the family could only pay Rp 4.5 million.
"The hospital ignored the family's request for a discount even
though they submitted official letters stating that the family is
poor," Iskandar said.
Siloam Hospital president director Jessy Quantero denied the
hospital was holding the patient "hostage" for the payment.
"The family agreed to pay all the treatment fees, which were
already discounted. But later, after the patient was
recuperating, they told us they could not afford it. What is
really happening is that there is still no agreement with the
family to settle the down payment," she told The Jakarta Post.
Meanwhile, Bosco Ham accused Medistra Hospital of giving him
incorrect information on the condition of his 9-year-old son,
Lexyano Hamsalim, before performing heart surgery on the boy on
Aug. 23. Lexyano is now in a coma.
"The doctors told me that the chances for successful heart
surgery were 99 percent ... but after the surgery, the doctors
told me that there was the possibility of complications," said
Bosco, a resident of Pekanbaru, Riau.
Lexyano reportedly experienced severe hemorrhaging the day
after the surgery and fell into a coma.