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Hospitals told not to demand down payments in emergencies
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Hospital representatives in Jakarta sign at the Jakarta Health Agency office in Central Jakarta on Friday a statement declaring that they will not ask for down payments from patients in emergency situations. (kompas.com/Jessi Carina)
F
ollowing the death of 4-month-old Tiara Deborah Simanjorang, who was allegedly denied intensive medical treatment because her parents had been unable to make a down payment at the hospital, the Jakarta Health Agency has required hospital directors across the capital to sign a statement declaring that they would treat all patients in emergency situations.
“We made this agreement so that they will treat patients in emergency situations immediately without asking for advance payments,” Jakarta Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said at his office in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Friday, adding that the agreement would be signed by 187 hospital directors in the city.
The agency also informed hospitals that have yet to cooperate with the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) that they could still ask the government for a reimbursement of the medical costs of emergency patients.
The parents of Deborah, Rudianto Simanjorang and Henny Silalahi, claimed their daughter died on Sept. 3 after Mitra Keluarga Hospital in Kalideres, West Jakarta, refused to treat her in its pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) because they could not afford the Rp 11 million (US$835.6) down payment.
Koesmedi further said that Law No. 36/2014 on health workers stated that it was illegal for doctors to reject patients or ask for payments up front.
“So, we are reminding health workers [with this agreement]. In fact, the regulation has been stipulated in the law,” he said. (vny)
