New grading for hospitals: Sujudi
New grading for hospitals: Sujudi
SURABAYA (JP): The government is introducing an accreditation
system for hospitals in order that the public may be better
informed about the quality of their facilities.
Minister of Health Sujudi said accreditation would be given to
hospitals that have attained certain medical and administrative
standards.
"Accreditation will indicate government approval for a
hospital. It will also serve as a long-term, continuous program
aimed at improving the quality of hospitals," Sujudi said at the
launching of the Adi Husada Kapasari hospital on Friday.
The accreditation agency will assess five aspects of
hospitals: administration and management; medical services;
treatment services; emergency care; and medical records.
Sujudi declined to give details of the plan but said a pilot
project for the accreditation program will be carried out on ten
hospitals.
The accreditation system will be in addition to the hospital
rating system already in use. Under the rating system hospitals
are placed into one of four categories, according to their
location and facilities. The highest category is Class A. Only
hospitals located in provincial capitals can come within classes
A or B.
Four hospitals currently enjoy an A rating: Cipto Mangunkusumo
in Jakarta, Dr. Soetomo in Surabaya, Adam Malik in Medan and
Wahidin in Ujungpandang, all of which provide education and the
most complete range of health services available in the country.
Class C is for hospitals located outside provincial capitals
which provide at least four basic services: maternity care,
childcare, surgery and internal disease treatment. They must also
have X-ray, laboratory, anesthetic and other facilities.
Class D, which comprises most of the country's hospitals, have
the least facilities.
Need
Sujudi said that more than 100 Class D hospitals were in need
of improved facilities as well as more specialist staff.
He said upgrading hospitals was not easy since it meant
investing large sums of money in expansion and infrastructure
facilities.
On another matter, Sujudi said that, in compliance with the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Indonesia is opening its
doors to foreign physicians to work in the country.
Sujudi said that, initially, hospitals may only hire foreign
physicians for jobs for which no Indonesians are available. "They
(foreigners) must be employed in such a way that there is a
transfer of technology and knowhow to Indonesian experts," he
added.
But that restriction will have to be phased out completely by
2020 in line with Indonesia's commitment to free trade, he said.
Indonesia will also allow foreign investors to enter the
hospital sector, on condition that they work in a joint venture
with Indonesian investors.
Sujudi said foreign investors would probably target wealthy
Indonesians who currently go overseas for medical treatment.
"If the rich could opt for `foreign hospitals' within the
country, instead of having to go overseas, it could save a lot in
foreign currency," he said.
"Foreign hospitals" which are set up in the future should
continue to provide an alternative for this group, he said. (pwn)