IDI demands Dewi retract Sukarno's death charges

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)