Sun, 26 Oct 1997

Indonesians flock to S'pore for better health care

SINGAPORE (JP): It is no secret that Indonesians have for many years flocked to Singapore to shop. What is often overlooked is that many go to the island state for medical care.

Slowly but surely, Singapore has built a reputation as one of the finest medical treatment centers in the region.

Mount Elizabeth Hospital is among the best known infirmaries for Indonesians.

The numbers speak for themselves: Mount Elizabeth admitted 6,120 Indonesian patients last year, and 4,440 more in the first eight months of this year.

Another leading private hospital, Gleneagles, registered nearly 4,500 Indonesians in 1996. It has treated more than 2,500 this year.

The main treatments sought by Indonesians are general medicine, general surgery and cardiology, according to Tan-Hoong Chu Eng of Parkway Group Healthcare, one of the largest private health care organizations which handles about 75 percent of patients in private hospital health care in Singapore.

Others include gynecology, gastroentorology, urology, orthopedic surgery and cardio surgery.

Parkway Group runs Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles and East Shore from Singapore's six main private hospitals, and about one-third of all patients are foreigners.

Indonesians make up about half of these.

Among reasons for the popularity is the quality and long-term experience the hospitals promise.

With the most developed economy in Southeast Asia, Singapore has been able to develop an advanced health service.

The medical technology available is on the cutting edge, and most is still not found in other countries in the region.

Heart lasers, a cytotoxic laboratory for anti-cancer drugs, MedX equipment for spinal rehabilitation and equipment for stereotactic neurosurgery are just a few of Singapore's facilities which are unavailable to doctors in neighboring nations.

Mount Elizabeth and East Shore are the first hospitals in the Asia Pacific to receive ISO 9002 international quality certification.

But is sophisticated medical technology the main attraction for Indonesians?

Tan said modern technology helps, but believed it was the overall health care approach which counted most.

She said technology can help in medicinal aspects, such as shorter recuperation periods.

An open heart surgery patient can be out of hospital in eight to 10 days, while a gall bladder patient needs only overnight admittance.

All this helps to cut down on the patient's costs, she said.

"State of the art equipment adds to the patient's trust, but most important is the personalized clinical care," she said, adding that this was more therapeutic in the long term.

"Basic good nursing is a priority. We try to take a holistic approach."

It is true that many of the plush amenities at Mount Elizabeth and Gleneagles could have visitors wondering where they were.

Missing are the antiseptic odor or commotion which many in Indonesia identify with hospitals.

Cost

Like everything in life, quality comes at a cost; so would heart surgery end up costing an arm and a leg?

"As long as you take into account the quality, then it is more economical," Tan, head of Parkway's Physician Relations, responded diplomatically.

Non complicated heart surgery costs S$22,000 (Rp 50.6 million), inclusive of physician and hospital fees, about the price of a good sedan in Indonesia.

An angiogram is S$3,000 to S$4,000.

Four weeks of radiotherapy for cancer, excluding the doctor's fee, would cost between S$2,000 to S$3,000.

Stereostatic neurosurgery runs to about S$10,000.

Dr. Aulia Sani of Harapan Kita Hospital in West Jakarta said heart surgery at its cardiac center cost about Rp 30 million.

Like anywhere else in the world, public hospitals in Singapore are cheaper than the private ones.

Recent Singapore Ministry of Health data showed the average inpatient bill per day for surgical specialities was around S$720 to S$825, including doctor's fee, for someone staying at a Class A room in the National University or Singapore General Hospital.

The average cost in Gleneagles is about S$1,900.

Foreigners must pay a surcharge of up to 30 percent in public hospitals, but there is no additional charge for them in private hospitals.

For Indonesians, the currency crisis has made deep inroads into their spending power.

Tan said Parkway's hospitals would provide 10 percent reductions, thereby allowing patients to pay at the exchange rate of three months earlier.

"Many doctors are supportive in reducing the cost to the needy Indonesian patients," she said. "The group believes in assisting foreign patients who need the extra help." (mds)