Hospitals, doctors should try to understand needs of patients:

Hospitals, doctors should try to understand needs of patients:
Ministry

Dewi Santoso
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Cynthia finally had to make a trip to Singapore after endless
disappointment with her local gynecologist at a hospital in South
Jakarta who could not solve her nagging problems.

"The main thing that makes some people, including me, seek
medical treatment overseas is because of poor standard of health
services here," the mother of two said on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old housewife finally flew to Singapore to have
her ailment cured.

"It was back in 2001, when I my problem began so I had it
checked by a gynecologist in a hospital in South Jakarta. He said
that it was only a minor infection caused by either germs or
bacteria. So, he just prescribed some standard antibiotics
without doing any tests in a laboratory," said Cynthia.

After eight months, however, her ailment had not been cured.

In Singapore, she was later told by a gynecologist there that
her problem was a result of an infection of her cervix and she
was given a complete explanation on the cause and treatment of
her infection.

"Doctors abroad give you the time, they sit down and talk with
you. They can calm your anxiety," Cynthia told The Jakarta Post.

She said her doctors in Singapore also could be easily
contacted with further questions.

"Here, you can't even get their telephone numbers, and if you
do, they usually aren't available when you call," she said.

Cynthia is not the only one who thinks that Indonesia's health
services are far from adequate.

Recently, the Health Ministry's medical services director
Hardiman said that many Indonesians preferred medical treatment
overseas because of unsatisfactory care at home.

He estimated that the amount of money spent by Indonesians
seeking treatment overseas was approximately US$300 million each
year.

To keep that money in this country, Hardiman had some novel
ideas for improvement, when he suggested that all patients be
given the opportunity to choose their own doctors. He also
suggested that hospital administrators and doctors should try to
understand the needs of their patients.

David, a resident of Bogor, West Java, recalled the time when
he had to have a tumor removed.

"I went to a hospital in North Jakarta, and the doctor told me
that I'd have to spend five days in the hospital," he said. David
then decided to fly to Singapore to for a second opinion.

"Guess what, the doctor at the hospital there told me that I
only had to spend one day in the hospital," he said.

When it comes to staying healthy, the cost is not the main
concern for people like Cynthia and David and thousands of other
Indonesians, who can afford to go overseas. They will say that
the services were well worth the costs incurred.

"I paid Rp 85,000 (US$10) for a consultation fee here, whereas
in Singapore, I paid US$95. But I got what I paid for --
excellent service," said Cynthia.

David said the same thing: "It might be a bit more expensive,
but I didn't have to spend four useless days in a hospital."

Distrust is another major concern that causes people like
Cynthia and David to seek treatment overseas.

"Doctors here are irresponsible, and yet, if they commit
malpractice, I couldn't sue them because of the dubious justice
system here," Cynthia said.

According to Marius Widjajarta of the Indonesian Health
Consumer Empowerment Foundation (YPKKI), the absence of a
professionalism and willingness by medical people and hospitals
to tolerate substandard medical care was the main cause of poor
state of the medical system in Indonesia.

"With little or no understanding of medical and professional
ethics, malpractice suits cannot be proven because they is no
measuring stick," said Marius, who is also a physician at St.
Carolus Hospital in Central Jakarta.

He added that Indonesia needed to pass more government
regulations to set basic ethical standards for doctors and
hospitals in order to win trust of the people.

Until the government regulations come into effect, thousands
like Cynthia and David will continue to go overseas for better
medical care.