Jakarta hospital reinstates doctor in AIDS conflict

JAKARTA (JP): The management of the private Medistra hospital agreed yesterday to reinstate one of its leading AIDS doctors.

Medistra has been caught in a controversy since Sjamsuridjal Djauzi, a doctor at the hospital, disclosed that he had been barred from treating patients.

"As of today, Dr. Sjamsuridjal may again treat patients at Medistra," said the director of the hospital in South Jakarta, Evie Tilaar.

"When we barred him from treating patients, it was understood to be temporary, due to differences in opinion on handling patients with AIDS," Tilaar said at a press conference at the Ministry of Health.

The press conference was called after Tilaar and other Medistra executives held a meeting with ministry officials and with Sjamsuridjal himself.

Sjamsuridjal, who refrained from commenting during the press conference, said earlier that the hospital management had asked the families of a number of AIDS patients to move them elsewhere, in addition to barring him from treating them and other patients at Medistra.

He had also said that the management failed to give him an adequate response, which prompted him to go public with the issue.

Yesterday's meeting and the subsequent press conference was chaired by the Ministry's Director General of Medical Services, Suyoga, who said the Ministry had issued a warning to Medistra.

"Our information that Medistra had recommended patients to move elsewhere was enough for us to issue the warning," Suyoga said. "According to the national strategy on AIDS, hospitals must take in all patients and treat them without exception."

Despite the management's position, he noted that the hospital allowed its doctors to continue treating AIDS patients and that none were referred to another hospital.

A public relations officer at the hospital said earlier that all patients with AIDS had returned of their own will, after "good treatment" at the hospital.

Tilaar explained that the friction with Sjamsuridjal resulted from "differences in opinion" on the question of treating AIDS patients with the management preferring to refer them to other hospitals chiefly because they were more equipped to deal with AIDS problems.

The Medistra representative in charge of medical services, M. Suyaka, said one reason that the families had been requested to move their patients was the hospital's priority policy.

"If a patient has stayed long enough at the hospital and his doctors feel that he could be treated at home or at another hospital, then he should make way for other patients," Suyaka said.

She confirmed that some patients were asked to move because beds were full.

"We have had to reject cardiovascular patients and others which need immediate surgery," said Suyaka.

In response to whether Medistra might have lacked information, which may have led to the charges of discrimination, Tilaar said, "we may not have made the appropriate response."

"Maybe we have not gathered all the necessary information and rules on AIDS," Tilaar said, adding that the management has agreed to improve its ability to receive and treat AIDS patients.

Suyoga said the Ministry of Health has published AIDS guidelines for all hospitals. Hospital managements should also have copies of the ministerial ruling on the national AIDS strategy.

The head of the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Health, Hadi Santoso, has proposed training programs for hospital staff and management on handling AIDS patients, which they hope will prevent a similar conflict in the future.

The training will be assisted by the Association of Jakarta Hospitals, which is a member of the Indonesian Hospital Association. (anr)