The increasing number of Indonesians seeking medical services overseas shows diminishing trust in local healthcare, former vice president Jusuf Kalla said Wednesday.
This trend should serve as a warning for domestic physicians and hospitals, Kalla said.
Kalla made the remarks in his capacity as current chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) during a visit to an education hospital at Hasanuddin University in Makassar, South Sulawesi.
The hospital is the first modern hospital in Indonesia, and has sophisticated facilities ranging from high-tech equipment to an artificial insemination laboratory.
It was not only officials and businessmen from Jakarta seeking treatment overseas, but also
people outside major cities, and their favorite destination was Singapore, Kalla said.
If local doctors and hospitals do not improve their medical services, it is feared that all wealthy people will prefer to go overseas to get treatments, he said.
“Previously only the wealthy in big cities sought medical treatment overseas, but now those from areas outside cities are also going to other countries for treatment. This means their trust in domestic medical services is declining,” Kalla said.
Kalla urged domestic doctors and hospital managements to improve the quality of the services they provide, so as to prevent them from being shunned by would-be patients.
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