0 Access to Free Health Care Still a Problem

Some Jakartans still cannot access free health care, even though the Jakarta Health Card was launched last November to provide the poor with no-cost treatment. Masanih, a 44-year-old housewife, said she requested free treatment for her chronic ulcer on Jan. 1 at Pasar Rebo Public Hospital in East Jakarta, but the hospital said all the free rooms were occupied. Yunus Nuswarli, her husband, said that his wife’s ulcer had caused a stomach infection and needed urgent care. 

“I went to the administration to seek information on rooms. They said that the rooms in class II and III were all occupied. The doctor told us to find another hospital,” he said. Yunus then took his wife to Pusdikkes Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, but he was told the same thing — all rooms for holders of the card known as KJS were full. “Eventually, I had to pay Rp 1.8 million [$187] because my wife just couldn’t stand the pain,” he said. “I am hoping that the hospital or the Jakarta administration could help me pay some of the bills.” 

The KJS offers free health care at community health centers (puskesmas) and at class III hospital wards. Dedi Suryadi, Pasar Rebo Hospital’s public relations officer, said that the hospital acted according to procedures. “The rooms were full so we wrote a recommendation letter. We couldn’t let her stay because we could not properly attend to her, so it was best for her to go to another hospital,” he said. Dedi said that at his hospital, there are 147 class III beds, which are usually reserved for KJS holders, but occasionally, middle-class patients choose to be treated there. He admitted that the hospital could not cater to all KJS holders because of space limitations. The KJS was previously criticized for guaranteeing care to the poor but not providing enough staff or space to serve them.

source : the jakarta globe