Individual life part of democracy

Individual life part of democracy

Is it not true that an integral part of democracy is the
belief that an individual's life is precious and should be
protected? Regardless of ethnicity, religion or status, each
individual has the right to fair humanitarian treatment. The
value of each individual's life should not be determined by the
person's financial status, or should it?

Hospitals in Indonesia would no doubt argue that saving a
person's life depends on the ability to pay for the service. A
case in point is the recent story about the bus conductor who was
beaten half to death by a mob of young school boys who, not
unlike hospitals here, regarded the bus conductor's life as
trivial. The badly injured man was taken to the hospital but
unfortunately he had forgotten to bring sufficient funds with him
for the surgery (how careless of him). These good Samaritans who
took him to the hospital had made the same mistake (which only
goes to show that only rich people should help people who require
hospital treatment).

The man's family could not be contacted either (no doubt they
had forgotten to buy a mobile phone) so the doctors left the man
to die. A doctor at the hospital actually admitted that the man
could have been saved but he didn't have any money. "Oh, OK.
Sorry to have taken up so much of your valuable time. I'll just
put the body in the fridge because I suppose the cemetery will
want payment up front too."

Let's face it. Hospitals are businesses. Nobody said they had
to behave in a humanitarian way and by the same token do you
think businessmen here become government ministers to improve the
welfare of the masses? Oh I'm sorry. I got that wrong too! I
suppose we have no business demanding that hospitals respect the
individual's life or that they should actually care about people,
unless of course you happen to be a celebrity or a minister.

I once had to call an ambulance for one of the staff in my
office, (she had fallen down the stairs) but the driver adamantly
refused to take her to the hospital unless I paid him first (Rp
12,500). The hospital refused to give her painkillers because no-
one had put money up front and then we were given an endless list
of drugs on the prescription (excluding painkillers) that served
no other purpose than ensuring that the hospital earned a
commission on the sale. I was appalled then and I am still
appalled at the callousness of doctors here.

So, I guess the bus conductor's wife and two children should
just resign themselves to this quirk of human nature and carry on
in the knowledge that their lives were also worthless. The
doctors can all go home after a hard day's work at the office and
shake their heads in horror at the news reports of atrocities in
Kosovo. The students can go on demonstrating for reform in front
of government buildings when they should actually be
demonstrating in front of hospitals that allow people to die
needlessly. And the hospitals can go on counting their profits in
the knowledge that nobody cares anyway.

Oh, but wouldn't it be ironic if the very same doctor found
himself in the very same position as the bus conductor, having
been robbed on the way home. No money in his pockets, wallet gone
too, and the wife and kids have gone on a shopping spree abroad
and can't be contacted. "Oh, we're terribly sorry but no money,
no contactable relatives, no proof of status. We'd love to help
but well, you know the deal! Next!"

JOHN C. TORR

Jakarta