Hospitals: Health For Sale?

Just recently in Indonesia there have been several cases of less fortunate patients being kicked out of the hospitals where they were being treated because they were no longer able to pay. This is truly degrading not only for these individuals but for Indonesia as a whole. While part of the country's vision/mission as a developing country is to "... prepare to take off," do these cases suggest that not everyone is invited on board?

Perhaps to most of us going to the local clinic or having a medical check up is just as easy as going to the grocery store just a few blocks away. Even when things are just a little too late that we are ‘destined’ to be hospitalized, we practically hop onto the hospital bed and simply let the doctors and nurses take care of the rest. A few days or weeks from now, all we have to do is pay the bill, call our family to pick us up, and we’re back on our feet again.

Such modern-day ‘daily chores’ are just so conveniently done that we often forget not all people are fortunate enough to afford a relatively comfortable life like ours. To some of us, our worst day is when we had to leave the supermarket aisle shamefully while having several dozen shopppers staring at us because our credit card got rejected. Well, if you think you had a bad day, imagine being kicked out of the hospital because you are just so broke that the very last penny you have might not even pay for the laundry of the hospital sheets you just slept on.

Now, we know that hospitals need to generate income to pay for electricity, the expensive medical tools and facilities, pay for nurses, and much more. But, does that really give them the right to reject or expel an in-patient just becuase they cannot pay? Apparently officials at one hospital in Samarinda, South Kalimantan, Indonesia thought they had the right to do so. By the way, what were doctors sworn to do again?

Just several weeks ago also in Indonesia, a middle-age patient was thrown out from a hospital in Kendari Southeast Sulawesi – and not because the patient was not able to pay but because the hospital had not extended its licence. When confronted,  the managament said indifferently, “We are doing that now.” If so, why cannot the patient extend her treatment, one might ask. Only God knows.

As sad as it is, I’m sure that this is only the tip of the iceberg – there are perhaps many similar cases around the world. Lets unite our hearts, and just think for a second: how would we feel if that poor patient is us, our child, parents, or even our grandparents.

A note from Luc: based on the article “Mengusir Pasien Dari Rumah Sakit Adalah Tindakan Tidak Bermoral” from Watatita by Alexia Cahyaningtyas. For original article please follow link below:

http://watatita.wordpress.com/