Minister Of Health Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih Asks Private Hospitals Not To Reject Patients In Today's Memory, March 9, 2010

The late Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia 2009-2012. (Among)

JAKARTA Memories of today, 14 years ago, March 9, 2010, Minister of Health (Menkes), Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih again reminded private hospitals not to refuse patients. The appeal was announced based on the fact that many private hospitals refused patients who did not have treatment.

Previously, Indonesia's health affairs were like walking on the spot. Those who can access maximum health services are only limited groups. Once the poor access their services, health services are far from maximal.

The condition of Indonesian health services is often described like a street on the spot. This condition is because the emergence of narratives of the poor is prohibited from getting sick. The satire appeared not without reason. Everything boils down to the health system in Indonesia that does not provide space for the poor to access treatment in hospitals.

The hospital, especially the private sector, is not yet friendly enough to poor patients. Take for example in the opinion poll conducted by Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) in 2009. The survey related to the quality of health services took samples from 738 poor patients in five regions (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi).

The results are as predictable. The poor actually feel that if they can access the hospital, the service is never optimal. Everything can be seen from complicated administration, long queues, frequent doctor visits, and unfriendly nurse attitudes.

This condition really slapped the faces of the poor. Like they can't get sick anymore. This condition is exacerbated by the poor who are often burdened with down payment when receiving treatment at the hospital. This requirement is very burdensome. Especially when the poor go to private hospitals.

Conditions that require intensive treatment can also be strictly rejected by the hospital. This fact was present in the series of incidents of poor patients dying because they were rejected by private hospitals.

The poor patients also stated that in the past year they had been asked for a down payment by the hospital as a condition in obtaining hospital services (10.2 percent). The average down payment is IDR 794 thousand.

The determination of a down payment is one of the inhibiting factors for poor people to get hospital services. This is also evidenced by the recognition by 12.8 percent of poor patients who stated that they had been rejected by the hospital. One of the reasons is because the hospital has set a down payment as a condition for administrative completeness," explained the survey as written on the ICW website, December 21, 2009.

This condition has caught the attention of Minister of Health, Endang Rahayu. He saw the widespread refusal of patients to seek treatment by private hospitals as a big problem. It is also proof that the government is rarely present for the poor. Endang expressed this concern during a discussion with the Association of Indonesian Private Hospitals on March 9, 2010.

Endang firmly stated that private hospitals should not reject the poor who seek treatment. He hopes that private hospitals can cooperate with the government in providing health services to the community. Immediately provide maximum service patients. Government funding matters will help.

"Don't refuse people who come for treatment just because they don't have a down payment. Give the best service first. For this reason, the government will help, what can be helped. The government also hopes that private hospitals will continue to develop various health programs for the poor," he said as quoted by Kompas.com, March 9, 2010.