Jamsostek offers free medical help to the poor
Jamsostek offers free medical help to the poor
JAKARTA (JP): Life is hard for Syahlani. Soon after his
dismissal as a driver of state-owned transportation company PT
Damri in July, he opened a food stall near his house.
He earns between Rp 10,000 (US$1.33) and Rp 20,000 daily but
his income is too low to meet his family's needs.
The family lives in a slum area in Pulogadung subdistrict,
East Jakarta. Two of his eight children have graduated from high
school but are jobless. His youngest son is a fifth grader in a
state elementary school.
Three of his daughters have been forced to drop out of junior
high school because there is not enough money to pay for their
education.
Needless to say, expensive treatment of the huge tumor on his
back and cataracts blinding his youngest daughter Fitri, 6, is
not a possibility.
Syahlani, 48, who hails from Brebes in Central Java, said it
would be pointless to visit a physician about the tumor, which
weighs about two kilograms, covers part of his spine and which he
has had for 16 years.
"How can I visit a doctor or go to a hospital to have my
illness treated if my daily income from my food stall is not
enough to cover our daily needs?"
He said he felt even worse that he could not seek medical help
for Fitri, who has been blind since the age of three.
"How can I bring my youngest daughter to hospital for cataract
surgery when I do not have a single cent in my pocket?"
Ratmi, Syahlani's wife, said the family would welcome any
humanitarian assistance to treat their illnesses. She said she
had tried to secure treatment but without success.
"I contacted several clinics and a hospital in the city, but
they couldn't help us for financial reasons."
The 40-year-old added that there were no relatives who could
lend a helping hand.
But help did come in the person of Abdul Gofur, a neighborhood
community chief, who arranged for Syahlani and Fitri to receive
free medical consultations provided in a nearby area on Wednesday
by state-owned social security firm PT Jamsostek.
After being examined by a physician, Syahlani and Fitri were
advised to seek further treatment at the Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital, with expenses to be picked up by Jamsostek and
the Pulogadung public health center.
Chief of Jamsostek's service division Aufa Azis said his firm
did not object to helping Syahlani's family. He said Jamsostek
was seeking others with chronic health problems who could not
afford treatment.
"We will cooperate with state hospitals in the capital to help
citizens with such cases."
Syahlani and Fitri were two of about 1,000 low-income people
targeted in Jamsostek's day-long medical treatment program in the
slum area.
Complaints ranged from simple cuts and headaches to serious
conditions.
A physician who requested anonymity said all the people
treated were pale and malnourished.
"This condition definitely has something to do with the
economic crisis," the physician said.
Indra Atari, chief of Jamsostek's Jakarta branch, said that
his company would provide free medical services every week over
the next two consecutive months to slum residents in conjunction
with the company's golden anniversary in December.
"We have allocated about Rp 20 million each week, and most of
the fund is used to pay medical personnel and buy generic drugs
to be distributed to the needy." (rms)