Mistreated patient in stable condition after surgery
Mistreated patient in stable condition after surgery
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Sumaryono, a patient with a part of his intestinal tract exposed
through an incision to his abdomen due to apparent malpractice,
has undergone surgery by a team of five doctors at St. Carolus
Hospital, Central Jakarta.
He was in stable condition as of Friday afternoon and under
continual monitoring from the doctors at the hospital's Intensive
Care Unit (ICU).
The hospital's spokeswoman, Endang Soeryatno, told The Jakarta
Post: "He is in a good condition after undergoing a five-hour
surgical operation on Wednesday."
The surgery was performed to remove tumors on internal organs
and to "fix all the mess" around the incision from the earlier
surgery.
"After the surgery, we expect a complete recovery," Endang
said, while adding that they had to wait 10 days before they
could start operating.
Endang said the patient was malnourished and nearly anemic
after being admitted on Oct. 14.
"During that period, we had to give him nutritious food as
well as a blood transfusion so the doctors could perform the
surgery," she said.
Sumaryono might be discharged from the hospital within the
next 10 days if there are no complications.
"After that he still has to receive outpatient care from the
hospital to ensure his wound is fully recovered," she said.
Owing to financial constraints, Sumaryono had to suffer with
the botched operation and serious pain for five months after
surgery was performed at the Jakarta administration-run Tarakan
Hospital in Central Jakarta.
Initially, he intended to get medication for an appendix
problem but doctors found a tumor and later performed surgery on
him. However, the doctors did not adequately stitch up the
incision and later discharged Sumaryono without any medication
nor follow-up treatment because his mother could not pay the Rp
2.8 million (US$330) medical bill.
Later, the same doctor referred him to Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital (RSCM), also in Central Jakarta, for follow-up
treatment but the hospital refused to admit him.
The Legal Aid Institute for Health (LBH Kesehatan), which
represented Sumaryono, has sent a complaint to both hospitals and
prepared malpractice lawsuits.
Even with the successful surgery, there is no guarantee that
the tumor will not grow again.
"He is not 100 percent free from the tumor which has already
spread in his other internal organs although it is not as severe
as before. Should that happen, he must have more surgery," Endang
said.
She hoped that the administration would provide a health fund
for Sumaryono.
His medical bill has been covered by individual donors who
heard about his tragic story on the city police radio Suara Metro
91.1 Emergency Assistance and so responded.
The administration has allocated Rp 74.45 billion (US$8.83
million) for health service fund for 83,364 poor families in the
city this year alone. However, the fund has only been disbursed
for a total of Rp 25.5 billion for poor families, registered or
not registered at subdistrict offices, and four city-run
hospitals.