Hospital's rules

Since September 1993 RS (Hospital) Pondok Indah has had a rule that only one relative can come into the delivery room with the laboring woman. A lot of foreign women, however, would like to bring, along their husbands, a family member, friend or Midwife. Experience has shown that the staff at RS Pondok Indah react very unfriendly if a second person is brought along. This has made a lot of foreign couples decide not to go to RS Pondok Indah.

On Friday, Aug. 26, 1994 a foreign couple went to RS Pondok Indah for the delivery of their child. They asked a Midwife to coach them during the labor. Their Midwife explained the rule and in respect to the hospital she did not go to the labor, which disappointed the laboring couple a lot. However, what surprised the laboring couple and the Midwife, was that the staff allowed the mother of the laboring woman to go inside the delivery room.

My questions to RS Pondok Indah are:

* Why did the management refuse a request from one of their staff doctors to allow more than one relative into the delivery room?

* Is the rule only made for the foreign Midwives?

* If yes, what is RS Pondok Indah hiding?

* What have the foreign Midwives done wrong at RS Pondok Indah?

What are they afraid of, that they react so unfriendly to the foreign patients, their relatives and friends?

MRS. SAIFUDDIN

Jakarta