Salatiga's alternative clinic offers friendly service

By Mohammad Yazid

SALATIGA, Central Java (JP): To get friendly hospital treatment is every patient's dream. Unfortunately, what they get is not always what they want.

There have been reports about some hospitals which demand a deposit before they take care of a patient, especially if the treatment costs a lot and the patient does not seem to have enough money. Hospital managements argue that it is difficult to improve the quality of treatment without sufficient funds.

But this does not apply in the "Sejahtera Bhakti" acupuncture and neurology clinic. This clinic, located on Jl. Bulusari Raya, Tegalrejo, Salatiga, Central Java, treats patients regardless of their social or economic status. If you ask about the cost, you will get a reply such as: "I don't know, the recovery of the patient is the most important" or, "We can discuss it later".

The clinic is not like hospitals in general, which offer their services based on the room "class" -- VIP, 1st class, 2nd class or 3rd class, as it does not want to discriminate between patients.

"Basically, the sick, wherever they come from, need some help and I, as a person working to serve the public, must help them," R. Haryoko R.D., the 45-year-old clinic owner, said.

"The poorer the people, the greater their need of our attention," he added.

If the patients do not have any money, the clinic will not charge them. Indeed, Haryoko will not hesitate to give them some money to help cover their transport expenses.

The clinic, established in 1988, employs two nurses and seven other employees. The three pictures on acupuncture hanging on a wall in the waiting room indicate that the clinic uses Chinese medicine and methods.

"I use imported Chinese medicines to cure my patients," said Haryoko, an acupuncturist and "neurologist" graduated from the University of Acupuncture, Tianjin, China.

His methods do not differ much from those applied in other hospitals, and include transfusions, chemotherapy and injections. The only difference is that he provides acupuncture treatment. He merely smiled when asked whether the medicines used had been registered with the Ministry of Health.

The approximately 300-square-meter building has six rooms, each measuring about 3 square meters by 4 square meters and consisting of a bathroom, a small cupboard and a bed. It is indeed a small clinic, but the patients place big hopes in it. The patients are usually in an acute condition. "Most of them come here after receiving treatment from hospitals but to no avail," said Haryono, a staff member of the clinic.

They suffer from various illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure, hepatitis and skin diseases.

"They think that I can cure any disease. In fact, I am only an acupuncturist and 'neurologist'," said Haryoko, who also owns a laboratory and a small hotel. In order not to disappoint the patients, Haryoko has been forced to learn about various other diseases. But he also has his limitations. For example, he is unable to treat patients with bone fractures.

Some of his patients come to him because they cannot afford hospital treatment. Others seek alternative treatments as they are not satisfied with the modern ones.

Corina, a housewife, related that her doctor from Yogyakarta's Bethesda hospital suggested that she undergo an operation after cysts were found in her uterus in November 1999. Corina, who was pregnant at the time, declined the suggestion after being told that the operation might affect her pregnancy. She came to Haryoko's clinic instead. After undergoing treatment for a year, not only is she now healthy but she also has a baby boy.

Nunu, a midwife, has another story to tell. In March 1999, a doctor from the St. Carolus Hospital in Jakarta suggested an operation because she suffered from breast cancer. But, Adi, her husband didn't agree and took his wife to Sejahtera Bhakti after getting information about it from a friend.

"I think my decision was right. My wife, so far, looks good without any operation," he said happily, even though he should pay about Rp 20 million. "Is that expensive?" he asked.

It is relatively cheap if it is compared to the fees and rates charged by hospitals.

Sri Wahyuni, another patient, who suffers from lung and bone cancer, said that she was charged Rp 4.5 million for her first chemotherapy session, and Rp 3.587 million for the second.

"Last year, I was treated by the Pertamina Hospital in Jakarta and spent about Rp 120 million for ten chemotherapy sessions," she said.

Wahyuni, who is still undergoing treatment at the clinic, knows all about the old expression: Man proposes, God disposes. She has heard many stories about patients who have been cured at the clinic, but she is also aware that everything is in God's hands.

The clinic, like other health centers -- modern or traditional -- has both happy stories and sad stories to tell.

A patient from Jakarta, Theresia Sutakti, is one example of a sad story. She was diagnosed as having breast cancer in November 1997, when the condition was already at an advanced stage. "She came to Pak Yoko late when she was in a critical condition," said Rini, her sister, adding that she failed to return to the clinic at the specified time, probably because of her financial problems. When she came to the clinic for the second time, Haryoko gave up and suggested that the patient be taken to a hospital in Semarang. She died on the way.

However, the clinic continues to attract new patients, not just the have-nots, but also those who are very rich, and they are from various professions, including high-ranking government officials.

Meanwhile, Merdias Almatsier, former chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association whose term of office ended recently, commented that, "as long as the system gives good therapy and functions well, why not? It's no problem."

"My question is whether the Chinese medicine being used is registered or not? If the medicine is not registered but it can cure the patients, I think it would be better off being registered," he said.