Public trust in local hospitals low, says Kalla

JAKARTA: Former vice president Jusuf Kalla, now chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross, said Wednesday the surge in the number of people traveling abroad for medical treatment reflected dwindling public trust in local hospitals.

“In the past, only wealthy people living in major cities traveled abroad for medical services.

“Today we know that even those residing in the regions go abroad. It means their trust in our doctors and hospitals is declining,” said Kalla, while visiting the Hasanuddin University Hospital.

He said the costs of health services here and abroad were not too different, but the quality of services in developing countries such as Singapore were better because doctors there always improved their knowledge and hospitals regularly revamped their equipment.

He added that most local doctors were overworked as they treated dozens of patients every day.
“According to an expert, a doctor should only treat four patients an hour and work for only eight hours a day. Local doctors are often too tired and that affects their diagnoses,” he said. — JP