Police urged to continue probe on malpractice cases
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Eighteen families grouped under the Community of Victims of the Health System came to the Jakarta Police Headquarters and National Police on Monday, calling on the police to conduct a serious investigation into malpractice allegations.
"There have been at least 25 complaints filed since February with the police regarding malpractice," said Iskandar Sitorus of the Legal Aid Institute for Health, who accompanied the families.
From the 25 complaints, 20 of them were filed with the Jakarta Police. "But no case files have been submitted to the prosecutor's office to date," he said.
The Jakarta Police detectives chief Sr. Comr. Mathius Salempang said the police had been facing difficulties in completing the investigation on malpractice cases.
"One of the problems is some of the patients who filed complaints refused to be questioned. I don't know their reasons. We can't start an investigation without statements from them," he said.
Salempang explained that before the police named any suspects, they had to determine whether any mistakes were made in the medical procedures carried out by the doctors.
"We rely on the decisions made by the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI)'s ethics board, which holds meetings to discuss cases related to doctors' code of ethics every Thursday," he said.
"We have sent letters to the board requesting them to include our cases in the meeting and they have agreed to examine them."
Separately, IDI chairman Farid Anfasa Moeloek said every patient carried an inherent risk when he or she suffered from a disease.
"The risk could be minor like that of influenza. But in other cases like a tumor in the uterus, the risk is greater," he said.
He explained that doctors would strive to do their best in keeping with medical procedures.
"If he or she had gone through all the procedures correctly, but the patient still had not recovered, we cannot accuse the doctor of malpractice," he argued.
Moeloek claimed that in the last three years, the ethics board has found that 80 percent of the doctors reported to the board were not guilty of malpractice.
The board imposed sanctions to the remaining 20 percent, who were found guilty of not sticking to procedures. The sanctions including revoking their medical licenses.
Moeloek said the bill on medical doctors would scrap the existing ethics board and replace it with the medical doctors disciplinary council that would comprise of, among others, doctors and legal experts.
"The board will be more independent, it will work outside the IDI," he said. "I think it will be fair."
He acknowledged that in general there was still a lot of room for improvement in medical services in Indonesia.
Cases reported to Jakarta Police
No. Date Patient Case Hospital
1. April 23 Wulan Yulianti Died after colon surgery Cipto Mangunkusumo
2. April 28 Lucy Maywati Concealing the complete YPK Maternity
medical record
3. June 7 Jeremia Sitorus Permanent injury when Budi Lestari
being delivered
4. June 12 Mindo Sihombing Permanent injury after Persahabatan
hernia surgery
5. June 24 Jajang Neglected while suffering Sukabumi
from malaria
6. June 30 Lucy Maywati Died after Caesarean YPK Maternity
7. July 12 Kundrat A. Sent home before getting Yayasan Amal Peduli
proper treatment Seribu
8. July 13 Ngatmi Permanent injury after Persahabatan
breast surgery
9. July 15 Rochati Permanent injury after Tarakan
breast surgery
10. July 26 Revi Anastasi Poisoned by medication PGI Cikini
11. Aug. 10 Revi anastasi Unpleasant conduct Cikini Pharmacy
12. Aug. 18 Fellina Azzahra Permanent injury after Karya Medika
appendectomy
13. Sept. 15 Fellina Azzahra Died after appendectomy Karya Medika and
Cipto Mangunkusumo
14. Sept. 3 Anggi and Anjeli Failing to get help Cipto Mangunkusumo
15. Sept. 6 Maena Nurrochmah Permanent injury after Setia Mitra
colon surgery
16. Sept. 6 Andreas Paska Permanent injury while Pasar Rebo
being delivered
17. Sept. 16 Lenny Fransisca Unpleasant conduct Siloam Gleneagles
18. Sept. 28 Leonardus W.P.H. Not allowed to go home Siloam Gleneagles
19. Sept. 28 Farrel Davin Died during delivery Evasari
20. Sept. 28 Lexiano Hamsalim Infection after heart Medistra
surgery
Source: Jakarta Police