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.