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Hospital urged to pay compensation
Parents of 10-week-old Edwin Timothy Sihombing reluctantly accepted the result of mediation with the hospital previously accused of negligence that led to the amputation of the babyâs forefinger
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arents of 10-week-old Edwin Timothy Sihombing reluctantly accepted the result of mediation with the hospital previously accused of negligence that led to the amputation of the baby's forefinger.
'I am not really satisfied with the result, but I have to accept it. As parents, we want the best solution for our baby,' Edwin's father, Gonti Laurel Sihombing, 34, said late on Wednesday.
He said the four-hour meeting ' which was attended by his family, representatives of the Harapan Bunda hospital in East Jakarta, the Jakarta Health Agency and the Indonesian Doctors Association ' resulted in two agreements. First, Harapan Bunda Hospital agreed to handle the financial cost of the baby's plastic surgery and treatment in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM)'s Kencana ward in Central Jakarta.
Second, the parents will not file any lawsuit to the police or file any report to the medical ethics council regarding the case.
Gonti said to his dismay, the meeting did not discuss any compensation for his son's lost finger.
'I am disappointed to learn that there is no compensation at all. I did not ask for it, but it's astonishing that the hospital did not have the initiative to give it,' he said.
Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) said he regretted the hospital's decision.
'Giving compensation to the patient shows good will from the hospital. Medical care is not only about who is right or wrong, but it is about humanity,' he said on Thursday.
Gonti is looking forward to the result of a medical audit conducted by a team form the Jakarta Health Agency, hospitals, pediatricians and orthopedists.
Baby Edwin is still waiting for a room in RSCM Kencana ward. Gonti said his baby's general health is well, but his finger seemed to be deteriorating.
Head of Jakarta Health Agency Dien Emawati said according to the medical audit, Harapan Bunda Hospital had followed the standard operating procedure with the baby.
'There was no amputation as the necrosis [dead tissue] on the baby's right forefinger had become disjointed by itself inside,' she said, referring to the event on March 31 when an orthopedic surgeon visited the baby.
On Feb. 20, the baby was brought to the emergency room at the hospital for fever and seizures.
Dien said at that time, the hospital went through the correct procedure by putting him on an intravenous drip. However, she said the baby constantly moved and caused inflammation on his hand.
