MMC hospital raises room rates

JAKARTA (JP): The economic crisis has forced the Metropolitan Medical Center (MMC) Hospital in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to raise its upper-class room rates by 10 percent since last month, its development director, Robby Tandiari, said Saturday.

Robby said the royal room rate and super VIP room rate were raised from Rp 425,000 to Rp 450,000 and from Rp 400,000 to Rp 425,000 per day respectively, while the first-class rate increased from Rp 175,000 to Rp 220,000.

He said the increase could not be avoided because prices for health equipment increased up to an average of 300 percent following the rupiah crash.

"There's no other choice because components of the room rates include health equipment," he said.

The hospital decided not to raise the Rp 35,000 per day rate for third-class rooms.

"The increase of the upper-class room rates is expected to help subsidize the lower ones," he said

On Saturday, the hospital was visited by Victorian Minister of Health and Aged Care Rob Knowles to explore the possibility of making MMC a reference hospital for Australians traveling to Indonesia.

"The authorization of MMC as the reference hospital will enable Australians get medical treatment here without having to go back to their country if they are sick during their travel here," Robby said.

"But it is an initial step that needs to be further developed," he said. (ind)