Salatiga's alternative clinic offers friendly service

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.