Poor health service alarming: Activists

JAKARTA (JP): Consumer and health activists raised alarm yesterday over what they saw as the tendency of hospitals, drugstores and practitioners to rake in profits at the cost of public service.

They said during a workshop that health institutions often neglected their social and humanitarian duties for the sake of making money.

"We understand that they have every right to gain profit, but they should not put people's lives in danger," said Zoemrotin KS, a senior activist of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI).

Citing an example, she said that the foundation knew of medical personnel and drugstores that changed the expiry dates of medicines.

The four-day workshop titled Women's Health and Consumers' Protection which opened on Monday, is organized by YLKI. It is being attended by participants from 15 provinces.

According to Zoemrotin, doctors and hospitals are so money- oriented that they favor the rich over the poor when providing services.

"Offering luxurious rooms or entertainment facilities is okay. But if poor people receive different medical treatment from the rich, it's not," Zoemrotin said.

One of the participants, Hanartani, said that many doctors do not examine their patients. They simply hear the patients' complaints and then scribble prescriptions.

"Then at home, the patient is confused because he does not understand what is prescribed for him," she said.

Prominent doctor Kartono Mohamad criticized doctors who prescribe drugs without carefully examining their patients' condition.

"It amazes me to learn that such practice is widespread," said Kartono, a former chief of the Indonesian Medical Association.

Many practitioners, he said, work unusually long hours -- from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. -- for apparent financial considerations. There are also doctors who examine up to four patients at the same time, he said.

"How can such doctors provide good medical treatment?" Kartono asked. "Some doctors do it because they have more patients than they can handle."

Besides doctors, patients should also be blamed for this condition, he said.

"Many people like to consult popular or expensive doctors instead of good doctors," Kartono said.

For example, he said, many people are reluctant to consult doctors who prescribe generic medicine, even though both the medicine and the doctors are good.

He urged YLKI and other consumer advocate agencies to inform the people about their rights concerning medical treatment.

He added that people should also file lawsuits against doctors who violate their professional code of ethics.

"At the moment, many people who become the victims of malpractice are reluctant to file lawsuits. They usually choose compensation," Kartono said.

He admitted, however, it is not easy to file a lawsuit against a doctor. "Even lawyers are usually satisfied with compensation," he said. (31)