IDI demands Dewi retract Sukarno's death charges

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has demanded that a widow of president Sukarno, Ratna Sari Dewi, retract her statement charging that his medical team killed him with an overdose of sleeping pills.

IDI Chairman Merdias Almatsier said there was no proof to back her assertion and it had tarnished the image of the country's medical profession.

Sukarno died at age 69 on June 21, 1970 at the Army's Gen. Gatot Subroto hospital in South Jakarta.

"I have got confirmation from Prof. Mahar Mardjono who chaired Sukarno's presidential medical team that Sukarno died of complications of several diseases, mainly kidney failure," he said after attending a seminar on the establishment of a national medical council on Saturday.

Mahar has said Sukarno's death was from natural causes, but it was hastened by his depression at being under house detention. The normally gregarious first president, Mahar said, was barred access to the media, rarely allowed visitors and "wasn't even allowed to walk in the garden" of Wisma Yaso, his residence in South Jakarta.

Japanese-born Dewi, who has mostly lived abroad since Sukarno's death, made the charge during one of her frequent visits to the country last week. She said that when she returned to Indonesia the day before Sukarno died, he suffered seizures and sounded like he was snoring loudly. Sukarno's children told her the symptoms had been going on for several hours.

She maintained that several doctors who she later questioned separately overseas told her the symptoms were a typical reaction to an overdose of sleeping pills.

Merdias warned Dewi to be cautious in making inaccurate statements and to recant her statement on Sukarno's death because she had no supporting evidence and eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, Mahar insisted that it was impossible for the medical team, all from the University of Indonesia, to give the founding president drugs to expedite his death.

"After quitting his job as president, Bung Karno (popular name for Sukarno) had suffered several chronic diseases such as kidney failure, hypertension and diabetes. The team suggested to Sukarno that he should undergo a kidney operation, but he refused to do it and took only Chinese medicine."

Mahar also denied Sukarno suffered seizures before he died. "Two days before his death, Bung Karno was unconscious. He then died in peace, as witnessed by the medical team."

Dewi could not have spoken with Sukarno because she only arrived one day before his death, he added.

"If the medical team was considered guilty of violating the medical code of ethics, it is Hartini Sukarno, and not Dewi, who should expose the complaint because she had accompanied Sukarno days before his death," he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Hartini is the only one of Sukarno's other wives still living. (rms)