Medistra incident

Medistra incident

I was amazed to read a feature story written by Veronica Soediro in The Jakarta Post (Nov. 29, 1995; page 7) which stated that the Indonesian AIDS Foundation was the main player in dealing with the incident in which Medistra Hospital in South Jakarta rejected patients with AIDS earlier this year.

There were many players involved in dealing with the Medistra incident. The main player was the Indonesian Medical Association, which took the initiative to send a letter to the Ministry of Health about the case of Dr. Samsuridjal Djauzi. Medistra Hospital had prohibited Samsuridjal from treating patients because he had treated several people living with HIV/AIDS at Medistra Hospital. The case became known to the public when the doctor sent a letter to Kompas, which was printed on Aug. 8.

The health ministry resolved the case after intense reporting of the incident in the mass media.

Apart from the Indonesian Medical Association, those most deserving of credit for the settlement of the Medistra case are non-governmental organizations like the Kusuma Buana Foundation, which organized a forum to discuss the controversy within days of the publication of Dr. Samsuridjal's letter in Kompas; the Pelita Ilmu Foundation; and prominent figures, such as Dr. Nafsiah Mboi.

IRWAN JULIANTO

Jakarta

Note: The writer was provided with the above information by Sarsanto Wirawan and Mawarwati Djamaloeddin of the Indonesian AIDS Foundation.

-- Editor