UKI hospital charges flood victim

JAKARTA: The UKI private hospital in East Jakarta was criticized on Sunday for charging a flood victim, whose child was treated for diarrhea in the hospital, despite a government instruction to give them free treatment.

Nurlela Fitri, a resident of Bekasi's Perumnas III, which was inundated by floodwater recently, told detik.com on Sunday that she had to pay Rp 300,000 to buy oral rehydration therapy for her 11-month-old son although she had shown the hospital staff a reference letter from the public health center in her district.

"I was told that I could only get a reduction in the fee. They said that I would normally have had to pay around Rp 600,000 for the medicine," she said.

She added that she did not know yet if she would have to pay the room rate charge as her son was hospitalized for four days.

The private hospital could not be reached for comment on Nurlela's claim on Sunday.

City Health Agency chief Abdul Khalik Masulli said on Sunday that the city administration was still applying the policy of giving free medical treatment to flood victims. --JP