0 Govt to act on unregulated non-medical practices

Medical practitioners have demanded the government take stern action to control the spread of unregulated non-medical alternative health practices in Bali. In a discussion last week at the Udayana University’s school of medicine in Denpasar, they warned that such irresponsible practices could bring harm to patients. Wimpie Pangkahila, an expert in andrology and sexology, said many patients took non-medical treatment before seeing a doctor, assuming that the “alternative” medication would be safer. 

“However, many of them get the wrong medication from unregulated alternative medicine practices and they end up in a serious condition before they come to the doctor,” he said, blaming the authorities for ignoring these practices. He also pointed out that harmful herbal medicines were illicitly mixed with chemicals to bring instant efficacy. “Businessmen take advantage of the campaign to use herbal medication,” he said, stressing that no herbal medicine was able to provide instant results. He cited a clinic located in the center of Denpasar that had provided alternative medication. 

The clinic, run by Ki Ageng S. Dewantara, claimed that it could heal HIV/ AIDS patients within three months. This clinic is now closed. There are also scores of herbal concoctions produced by companies in Indonesia using counterfeit registration numbers. “There are cases of fatalities due to these harmful herbs, but nobody has filed an official report. At the same time, advertisements on these non-medical treatments are still rampant in various media,” Wimpie said. 

Tjakra W. Manuaba, a professor of surgical oncology at Udayana’s school of medicine, said his division had conducted a survey to find out why many cancer patients preferred to take alternative medication. The survey showed that there was a common belief that surgery could enhance the activity of cancer cells, and that chemotherapy had harmful effects. “Many patients only come to the doctor when the disease is already at an advanced stage because they took alternative medication first,” he said, citing that 63 percent of cancer patients in Sanglah Hospital had previously taken non-medical treatment. 

They did not look for medical treatment in the first place because they thought it was only a minor illness or because they experienced no symptoms. Some of them also had financial concerns. The survey also showed that 74 percent of the patients preferred to go to a healer, while some others preferred massage or herbal therapy. This result could correlate to the fact that 83 percent of patients had limited knowledge of proper cancer medication. 

Tjakra pointed out some problems in cancer management in Bali, including the lack of a mass screening program; the high cost of chemotherapy, radiation therapy or even targeting therapy; and the lack of funding for research, among many other problems. Ketut Siki Kawiyana, orthopedic and traumatology expert, urged an advertising ban on irresponsible non-medical treatments. He also urged the authorities to take stern action on irresponsible orthopedic practices. 

Sri Mudani, commissioner of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in Bali, said that the regulation had been enforced to avoid deceptive advertising of alternative medication in the media. The regulation stipulates that advertisement should not contain patient testimonies, or claim that the medication would be able to heal the patient.

source : bali daily