Parties ignore health issues

Parties ignore health issues

Leony Aurora , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The country's political parties lack any form of concern about
health issues, a non-governmental organization says.

The Legal Aid Institute for Health (LBH Kesehatan) drew its
conclusion from the fact that only a quarter of the parties
attended the health discussions it held on five consecutive days,
ending on Saturday.

Out of the 24 parties qualified to contest the April 5
election, only the United Development Party (PPP), the Golkar
Party, the Pancasila Patriot Party, the New Indonesia Alliance
Party (PPIB), the Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party (PPNUI)
and the Social Democratic Labor Party (PBSD) sent representatives
to the discussions.

"However, none of them were willing to sign the health
contract, which we intend to draft," said Iskandar Sitorus of LBH
Kesehatan.

He said the document would state that the parties promised to
do certain things to ensure public access to health if they
managed to win seats in the legislative bodies. Details of the
contract were still being discussed, Iskandar said.

"If they signed the contracts, we would have a legal basis to
sue them if they did otherwise," he said.

During the meetings, several observers, including former
Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) chairman Kartono Mohamad,
said the parties were only concerned about how to win seats.

Iskandar said there were some parties that had criticized the
LBH Kesehatan for organizing the discussions during the election
campaign.

"This is ridiculous, we sent the invitations out on March 16
and March 17, a week before the discussions started," he said.

Of the parties that turned up, only two presented papers on
their health programs and distributed them to the audience.

"The best among the worst were Golkar and the PPP. At least
they slightly understood the current health system," said
Iskandar. "However, they did not know how to build an ideal
health system."

Unsatisfied with the attitude of parties to the discussions,
the LBH Kesehatan is planning to hold a public debate on health
issues with the presidential candidates in June.