Some of you may have followed the story of the young (nursing) mother who was remanded in prison on the charge of defaming a private hospital in the Jakarta area. A test at the hospital lab had indicated she had very low platelets, and as a result she was diagnosed with dengue and was admitted and infused. But the next day, it appeared that her platelets were in fact normal, and the diagnosis was incorrect.
She moved to another hospital and was correctly diagnosed and treated. Following this, she apparently tried to view her medical record at the original hospital, but this was allegedly refused. She then sent a private E-mail to a friend, indicating that she felt that she had been treated badly. This E-mail was then forwarded to a mail list, resulting in wide distribution. As a result, the hospital took legal action, and she was arrested by the police and locked up.
A number of things about this case have upset many in Indonesia. First, how could the doctors in the hospital concerned allow such a thing to happen? Should they not have put pressure on the hospital management to be more compassionate - do we not expect all our doctors to show that quality? Second, the Minister of Health washed her hands of the problem, saying she has no control over private hospitals.
Although the law on Doctors' Practice (no. 29/2004) very clearly states that patients own the contents of their medical records, and that they are entitled to a second opinion, requests for both in Indonesia are routinely effectively denied.
As the BMJ pointed out several years back, Doctors will get off their pedestals when patients get off their knees. One of our efforts is indeed aimed at trying to get HIV-infected people to get up off their knees and become empowered patients. But actions like this will set back the whole process.
Babé
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1 comment:
Hello Chris and Co,
I think a lot of professionals are reading your blog however few will post a comment, maybe because most of us share your opinion. Indeed it is a bloody shame how the medical professionals handled Ibu Prita's as a patient and with the whole case. It tells us a lot about the attitude of the medical professionals in Indonesia. I hope I will not be sued for sharing my opinion but working almost a decade in the Indonesian health setting I consider the attitude of medical professionals a major barrier for HIV prevention, early testing, timely treatment and appropriate adherence to treatment. I hope that cases like Ibu Prita stimulate HIV patients in Indonesia to stand up and defend their patient rights. As we all can learn from this case: the world is watching.
Serviam
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