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Relatives sue hospital over fatal explosion
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A patient enters a hyperbaric chamber at the Mintohardjo Navy Hospital in Jakarta on May 31, 2006. One of the chambers in the hospital exploded in early March, killing four people. (kompas.com/Lasti Kurnia )
T
he relatives of three out of four people who died in a hyperbaric chamber explosion at Jakarta’s Navy hospital in early March plan to sue the hospital for negligence.
They claim that the chamber was not being operated according to standard operating procedures (SOP), resulting in the explosion that killed (ret.) Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira, medical doctor Dimas, Edi Suwandi and Sulistyo.
Relatives of Sulistyo, former chairman of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI), are not among those who will sue the hospital.
Susilowati Muchtar, wife of Edi and mother of Dimas as well as Tri Murni, the wife of Abubakar, are seeking legal justice for the deaths of their relatives. "I will take this case to court through criminal or civil procedures," Susilowati told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday.
Susilowati also criticized the hospital for its evacuation procedures. The relatives also accused of the operator and nurse of not taking metal materials off the patients before the start of the therapy as metal may have triggered the explosion of the chamber.
It has also been claimed that the hospital had not provided the relatives with the results of an investigation into the incident, Susilowati added.
Lawyers of the relatives said that apart from suing the hospital, their clients had also sought support from other institutions.
They reported the case to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on claims of a lack of transparency in the investigation of the explosion on May 5. The relatives also visited the Indonesian Medical Disciplinary Honorary Assembly (MKDKI) to request that the institution carry out an investigation into the case on Tuesday.
"We have delivered formal complaints to the MKDKI, as the government has ignored this case. We believe that there was malpractice and an ethics breach in this case," lawyer of the relatives of the victims, Firman Wijaya, said at the MKDKI on Tuesday.
The MKDKI has promised to follow up on this case. (bbn)
