Bali Police Exterminates Illegal Abortion Practices By Dentists Of Ex-Convicts

DENPASAR - The Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus) of the Bali Regional Police exposed the illegal abortion practice by a dentist, a former convict (recidivist) in a case of abuse of authority in the health sector.

Deputy Director of Special Criminal Investigation for the Bali Police AKBP Ranefli Dian Candra said the suspect I Ketut Arik Wiantara was a dentist who was not registered as a doctor in the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) and had practiced abortions since 2006.

"The person concerned is a dentist, (carrying out an abortion) is not related to his profession. In fact, he has never practiced as a dentist. According to the rules, the person concerned has no right to carry out the abortion practice," said AKBP Ranefli, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 15.

Ranefli said the IKAW suspect was arrested on May 8, 2023, at 21.30 WITA on Padang Luwuh Street, Dalung, North Kuta District, Badung Regency, Bali.

He was arrested with three other people who are still in witness status. When being raided by the police, the IKAW doctor had just finished performing an abortion on a woman who was accompanied by her boyfriend. In carrying out this action, the suspected IKAW doctor was assisted by a housekeeper whose job was to clean up the abortion site after the IKAW doctor carried out the abortion.

Ranefli said that in carrying out abortions, IKAW doctors were self-taught because they did not have a license as an obstetrician.

"The person concerned learned self-taught from online, from books, and then understood the mechanism of the abortion method," he said.

According to Ranefli, the IKAW doctor is a recidivist with the same case where previously he was imprisoned based on a Denpasar District Court decision in 2006 with a sentence of 2.5 years in prison, and in 2009 he returned to carrying out this illegal practice.

To the Bali Police Ditreskrimsus investigators, the IKAW suspect admitted to having taken this action because he felt sorry for the patients who came to him, where on average he received requests from young patients of productive age, such as those who were still in high school, college, and already working, but not married.

For his actions, the suspect doctor IKAW was charged with multiple articles, namely Article 77 Juncto Article 73 paragraph (1) of Law Number 29 of 2004 concerning Medical Practice which carries a penalty of five years in prison and a fine of IDR 150 million.

Second, Article 78 juncto article 73 paragraph (2) of Law Number 29 of 2004 concerning Medical Practice which carries a penalty of five years in prison and a fine of IDR 150 million, and thirdly Article 194 in conjunction with Article 75 paragraph (2) of RI Law No. 36 of 2009 concerning Health with the threat of 10 years in prison and a fine of IDR 10 billion.

"With these multiple articles, the maximum threat is 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of IDR 10 billion," said the former Tabanan Police Chief.

Currently, the perpetrator is being held at the Bali Police Detention Center. The police are continuing to investigate and develop the case by exploring the statements of witnesses.