Life's a never ending misery for Sumaryono

Life's a never ending misery for Sumaryono

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The tragic tale of Sumaryono -- a young man who had been living
with part of his intestinal tract protruding through an abdominal
incision due to apparent malpractice -- exemplified the poor's
lack of access to professional medical service in the capital.

After a generous donor came to his aid, it seemed his story
might end happily ever after. Instead, it has taken on another
heartbreaking turn as he has now been denied his right to
shelter.

His pending release on Wednesday from St. Carolus Hospital,
Central Jakarta, is not good news for him, as he is now literally
homeless after his three-meter-square rented hut on the bank of
the West Flood Canal in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, was
bulldozed by Public Order officers only a day after he was
admitted to the hospital.

Jatmanto, a neighbor who lived close to Sumaryono's former
rental house, said on Tuesday that the hut had been demolished to
give way for a river dredging project by the City Public Works
Agency.

"Sumaryono's hut was the last to be demolished in the land
clearing drive, because residents informed the officers that the
hut belonged to someone who was very ill. All shanties on the
riverbank were already destroyed and his was the very last," he
told The Jakarta Post.

Jatmanto said the hut was one of many shanties that had been
built on land allegedly belonging to the Flood Command Project
(Koppro Banjir).

Only piles of debris and broken wooden beams were left on the
land where the shantytown once stood.

Sumaryono's mother, Iis Suwarti, told the Post at the hospital
that she had no idea where her son would stay after his release
from the hospital. Iis currently lives with a relative in
Kebayoran, South Jakarta, after their rented hut was torn down.

"I'll probably rent a room at a boardinghouse close to the
hospital so he can go for his follow-up treatment," she said. Her
son will need to undergo outpatient care over the next two weeks.

The anonymous donor, who paid all of Sumaryono's medical
bills, had also offered to pay the rent for the room.

Iis said she intended to take her son back to her home village
in Cibarusah, Sumedang, West Java, once he was fully recovered.

"It's better for him to live away from this city," she said.

Last month, Sumaryono's story made headlines after his
neighbors reported his horrific condition to the police, who then
contacted the press.

Moved by the coverage, an anonymous donor came to his aid, and
Sumaryono was admitted to St. Carolus Hospital. On Oct. 23, he
went into surgery and doctors removed tumors on his internal
organs and operated to "fix all the mess" around the incision
from the earlier, botched and incomplete surgery.

Sumaryono was placed under postoperative observation for 10
days to ensure there were no complications. A hospital official
said the cost for the surgery reached Rp 27 million (US$3,176).

Because of his impoverished state, Sumaryono had suffered for
five months in severe pain with part of his intestines hanging
out of an open incision, after "medical" treatment at city-run
Tarakan Hospital, Central Jakarta.

Initially, he had gone to the hospital for what was thought to
be an appendix problem, but doctors found a tumor and decided to
operate. However, they did not finish suturing the surgical
incision and discharged Sumaryono without any medication and
without arranging any follow-up treatment, as he and his mother
could not pay the Rp 2.8 million medical bill.

The same doctor who carried out the operation later referred
Sumaryono to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM), Central
Jakarta, for follow-up treatment.

This hospital, however, refused even to admit him, most likely
because he carried a letter from the subdistrict office that
declared his status as impoverished.