Mother's Tears at Funeral Mass Reveal Doctor's Final Confession: 'Mum, I Was Intimidated'

A deeply emotional atmosphere enveloped the funeral mass for Dr. Eliza Princila Utami Pakaenomi, affectionately known as Dr. Icha, at the RSS Baumata Housing Complex in Taebenu District, Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday afternoon, 29 June 2026. Amidst uncontrollable sobs, her mother, Nur Azizah, shared the harrowing story of her eldest daughter’s final days before the body was laid to rest. Nur, who serves as the Head of the Laboratory at the East Nusa Tenggara Provincial Health Office, recalled a telephone conversation with Dr. Icha on the evening of 13 June 2026, when her daughter’s voice trembled with fear. According to Nur’s account, Dr. Icha was subjected to verbal intimidation by three members of the Timor Tengah Utara (TTU) Regional House of Representatives: Therensius Lazakar (Golkar), Norbertus Tubani (PKB), and Veronika Lake (PDI Perjuangan). The three had come to the Emergency Department of Leona Kefamenanu Hospital to check on the treatment of a child patient, a victim of a venomous snakebite who was Norbertus Tubani’s nephew. Amid the tension, the council members allegedly pointed at Dr. Icha’s face while threatening to revoke her medical practice licence and freeze the hospital’s operational permit, simply because Dr. Icha insisted on following the standard operating procedure for treating venomous snakebites, a procedure she had even consulted on directly with Indonesia’s sole snake toxicology expert, Dr. Tri Maharani. “Mum, I am being intimidated by council members right now. I have worked according to the SOP, I understand the SOP thoroughly, I even consulted directly with the only snake venom expert in Indonesia. But they said that SOP cannot be held by just anyone, even though the right to carry out technical health services belongs to health workers, not those in power,” Nur said, mimicking the content of her daughter’s outpouring. Being yelled at in front of many patients made Dr. Icha feel her dignity as a medical professional was trampled. “From her crying, I tried to calm her down, but she felt I was no longer able to help. She said, ‘Mum, I am not strong in front of so many patients. Right now, they can stop my practice,’” Nur recalled, holding back tears.