Jakarta hospitals open doors to Aceh's child victims

Jakarta hospitals open doors to Aceh's child victims

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta hospitals are offering free medical treatment for
Acehnese children wounded in the catastrophic tsunami that swept
through the troubled province on Dec. 26.

Eva Jumpa of Harapan Kita Hospital said on Tuesday that
the hospital was currently treating four Acehnese children and
babies, and that one toddler died upon arrival at the hospital on
Sunday.

"We don't charge them at all as this is a rescue program by
the hospital to save Acehnese children and babies. We just lost a
one-and-a-half-year-old child identified as Karma Suhada, while
one baby is still in critical condition," Eva told The Jakarta
Post.

She said several other hospitals in Jakarta, including MMC and
Pondok Indah hospitals in South Jakarta, the Budiasih and Jakarta
Islamic hospitals in East Jakarta were currently taking care of
several Acehnese babies and children.

The Acehnese children are mostly being treated for respiratory
problems after swallowing dirty water during the tsunami.

A nurse at Budiasih Hospital, Wati, said the hospital was
trying to cure a three-month-old baby with a respiratory problem.

"Currently, we are taking care of only one baby, identified as
Heska. I heard we're treating the baby for free. We are expecting
several more Acehnese soon," Wati told the Post.

Lili Hasanuddin of the Coalition of Non-Governmental
Organizations for Tsunami Victims, which brought the children to
Jakarta, said the coalition of over 10 NGOs had cooperated with
the Association of Private Jakarta Hospitals, doctors and Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital to give babies and children from
Aceh free medical treatment.

"We are prioritizing saving sick babies and children, not
healthy ones, because many Acehnese babies and children who
survived the tsunami swallowed dirty water. Most of them have
fluid in the lungs," Lili told the Post.

He complained that the government had been too slow in taking
action as the children had been sick since after the tsunami,
which occurred over a week ago.

Lili added that the coalition met with the minister of health
recently to discuss how they could save as many Acehnese children
as possible.

"The minister said there would be a national program to save
Acehnese children. However, no action has been taken to date. So
we initiated this program, but we have only been able to save a
few," he said.

He added that hundreds of Acehnese children were ill because
of the tsunami.

"Our members in Aceh said they found around 200 sick children
and babies in just one refuge camp. In fact, there many such
camps there," said Lili.

He added that the only way to save Aceh's young tsunami
victims was to evacuate them to Jakarta because many doctors who
had been sent there complained of inadequate equipment and
medicine to treat the children.