New bills on health and sports services introduced

JAKARTA (JP): Three new bills on improving health services, liberalizing city hospitals, and developing new sports activities were introduced yesterday during a plenary session.

Three city hospitals are to be converted into independent local institutions while additional emergency units and clinics are to be built in the near future, thus state the two bills.

The third bill recommends the development of new sport facilities and services, particularly for low-income families and the disabled.

The city council spokesman, Sugeng Suprijatna, said the bill on hospitals states that three city hospitals, RSUD Koja in Tanjung Priok, RSUD Tarakan in Tanah Abang and RSUD Budhi Asih in Cawang, will operate independently.

"This is important to improve the quality of health services for low-income families," Sugeng said. "People in the districts of Tanjung Priok, Tanah Abang and Cawang, live in a slummy environment which could endanger the health of their children," he added.

The municipality will continue subsidizing the three hospitals to finance their operation, maintenance and human resources development. The subsidy to improve the hospitals' facilities first needs to be approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The bill also states that under the governor's authorization, the hospitals are allowed to be managed by the private sector.

The Indonesian Democratic Party faction chairman, Lukman Mokoginta, and the United Development Party chairman, Yusuf Hamdani, shared the view that all hospitals and emergency units should treat all patients the same regardless of financial status.

"Some hospitals refuse to treat the poor unless they pay in advance," Lukman said. "That's very inhumane, so we expect the three hospitals to treat the poor without emphasizing the financial aspect."

He said many physicians on night duty were reluctant to give first-aid treatment when called on by the poor.

Yusuf said many poor patients with referrals were often "detained" by hospital management until after they had paid their bills.

He suggested that hospitals allocate 25 percent of their beds to the poor and introduce financial benefits.

Joining the chorus, councilor Atje Muljadi from Commission E on social welfare said there was a need for at least 33 additional standardized clinics in Jakarta districts.

He also said only 10 out of 280 clinics in Jakarta had specialists. "We hope more specialists will be assigned in subdistricts and districts to improve better service for the community."

The councilors also called on the government to provide sport facilities for youths from low-income communities as the city has already had a lot of golf courses, tennis courts and bowling centers for upper-middle class people.

Atje also stated that soccer fields were scarce while public demand for them and facilities like them was high.

Lukman said in his speech that many municipality plots were hardly available and many had been replaced with housing complexes.

The sports bill states that the municipality should coordinate and facilitate sports activities in every subdistrict, including for the disabled. (10)