'No money means no treatment in the hospital'

The recent case of a patient sent home by a hospital because he could not pay the full medical bill is indicative of the poor treatment low-income people receive from the health service. A number of people recounted their bad experiences when dealing with hospitals to The Jakarta Post.

Haryanto, 38, is a newspaper vendor who lives in Palmerah, West Jakarta, with his wife and three children:

I have had some very bad experiences with hospitals.

When my son had an accident and his head was severely injured, a hospital in Central Jakarta refused to provide medical treatment because I didn't have enough money to make the down payment. The hospital wanted me to deposit Rp 5 million (US$588.24).

My son was ignored until I forced the man responsible for the accident to pay all the bills. I had to threaten to kill him in order to save my son's life.

During his time in the emergency room, the nurses required me to pay Rp 600,000 per day for medicine but they would not let me see the prescriptions or the medicine. It's ridiculous!

Another nightmare was when my wife was having our youngest child. She was in a critical condition and was bleeding profusely.

Another hospital in Central Jakarta refused to treat her because I could not cough up the Rp 1.5 million down payment.

I only had Rp 800,000 at the time but the hospital insisted that I pay the deposit.

We were fortunate as my neighbors lent us some money so both my wife and my baby's lives were saved.

I have learned that the lives of the poor are worth less than animals. Hospitals and medical staff are merciless and they only exploit patients, particularly the poor ones.

David, 28, is a street newspaper vendor. He resides in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, with his wife and two children:

I had a very humiliating experience when I brought my daughter, who was suffering from a high fever, to a hospital which is very close to our home.

When I was there, the hospital's doctors or clerical staff, I don't know which, forced me to pay Rp 300,000 for the down payment although I already told them that I only had Rp 200,000.

I even begged the management to treat my daughter first and allow me to pay later, but they refused. They said they had to comply with the procedures.

I felt like a beggar at the time.

Then I brought my daughter to another hospital in West Jakarta and the down payment there was only Rp 150,000, so my daughter received treatment.

I'm really sad to have been born poor as we get nothing at all from the hospitals.

Sarip, 23, is a resident of Petamburan, Central Jakarta, who works as a hawker on public transportation vehicles:

I think a patient coming to the hospital in a luxury car will get quicker medical treatment than one who arrives in a bajaj (three-wheeled taxi).

I'm sure that hospitals don't want low income people like us. Money really matters if you want to get quick treatment. No money means no treatment.

Nobody in my neighborhood would ever go to a hospital to get treatment. We always face nightmares when dealing with hospitals.

It's better to go to local community health center, which is cheaper, than going to hospital. And if we really don't have any money, then there's nothing else for us except death.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.