Sick flood victims cry for help

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the government's promise of free medical care, flood victims have complained that they are still facing difficulties gaining access to treatment, particularly for serious diseases.

Thousands of victims of the recent flooding in the city have found health care elusive, due to a lack of doctors and medicine.

Agus, a flood victim in Cipinang, complained that he had been forced to take his baby, who was suffering from diarrhea, to a hospital as the public health post in his district was unable to treat him.

"The treatment at the post is useless," said Agus, whose son was examined by a medical aide at the post.

Another resident complained that the doctor had appeared at the post for only three or four hours in the afternoon. "Patients need a doctor at any time; besides, the medical aide goes home at 6 p.m.," said Sitorus, who decided to take his son to a hospital at his own expense.

Sitorus could not get a reference from the doctor, a prerequisite for free medical treatment from any hospital here, because there was no doctor available when he brought his son in.

The administration announced last week that all flood victims could receive free medical treatment at any hospital in the city. However, they first needed to produce a reference signed by a doctor on duty at a health post.

Health Minister Sujudi said again on Wednesday that 100 hospitals across the city were obliged to help flood victims for free, as his ministry would reimburse them.

He said that his ministry and the hospitals -- both private and state-owned -- had reached an agreement on the free medical treatment.

"If the hospitals refuse them or ask for downpayments, just report it to us," he said, without elaborating on whether he would punish any hospitals refusing to provide the free service.

The minister also said that medicines for treating a variety of conditions, including diarrhea, flu, and skin and respiratory infections, had been distributed to 201 temporary health posts in the city's five mayoralties and 286 public health posts.

But many of the health posts lack adequate supplies. Diarrhea was the most common complaint among flood victims, but there were insufficient supplies of the oral rehydration therapy used to treat the condition.

Cipinang health post, for example, reported that it had exhausted its supply of 200 rehydration packs. Most of the medicines available at the post were antibiotics.

As a consequence, patients reporting to the post with diarrhea were instructed to drink water mixed with sugar and salt as a substitute for the rehydration treatment.

According to the city health agency chief, A. Chalik Masulili, around 18,000 of the 384,256 flood victims were suffering from diarrhea. Thus far, two children have reportedly died from the condition.

Some of the medicines available were reportedly nearing their expiry dates.

On Tuesday, amid strong public criticism, Minister Sujudi ordered the withdrawal of medicines earmarked for flood victims that had passed their use-by date.

He denied, however, that the drugs were no longer effective, even though their use-by date was for February. The government had earlier planned to destroy the drugs on Feb. 28.

The city administration claimed that it had established 70 official health posts in 263 shelters around the city, but had only 265 doctors available to treat flood victims.

Several organizations had also provided doctors and medicine.

According to the General Secretary of the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesia Medical Association (IDI), Dr. Dodi Firmansyah, over 40 doctors have been treating flood victims since earlier this week.

"We have established 10 health posts around the city," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that medicines had been donated by Indonesia Pharmaceutical Watch.

Individual doctors also offered their services, but lacked the authority to sign the references needed to access free medical treatment from the city's hospitals.

Some areas affected by the flooding, however, reported a complete lack of health posts or doctors. Semper was only provided with a temporary health post on Wednesday, but without doctors. There was still no health post in Petamburan.