Hospital Sanctioned but Avoids Closure Over Baby's Tragic Death
Jakarta. Mitra Keluarga Karyasehat, Indonesia's largest listed hospital operator, has avoided the closure of one of its hospitals in West Jakarta after the tragic death of a baby in its emergency ward earlier this month.
Despite finding the hospital guilty of neglecting their patient, health authorities said they cannot afford to lose vital services from Mitra Keluarga Kalideres, the only major medical facility in the area.
"We decided not to close down the hospital now... it's the only major hospital in the area, which has a population of more than one million. If we closed it down, where would people go to seek treatment?" Jakarta Health Department Head Koesmedi Priharto said on Monday (25/09).
The Jakarta Health Department instead ordered the hospital operator to completely restructure the Kalideres hospital's management board by Oct. 25.
The hospital will also need to take its accreditation test again and pass it in the next six months, Koesmedi said.
Failures to complete both tasks under the said timeline will result in the hospital's immediate closure, Koesmedi said.
Four-month-old baby Debora died at the Mitra Keluarga Kalideres Hospital on Sept. 3 after having to wait for hours to receive intensive care since the hospital refused to accept her parents' state healthcare card, BPJS Kesehatan.
Koesmedi said before coming to their decision the health department had conducted a medical audit of the hospital together with a team from the Health Ministry, including investigating what happened during Debora's final hours.
Mitra Keluarga is part of Kalbe Group, a local pharmaceutical giant controlled by one of Indonesia's richest families headed by tycoon Boenjamin Setiawan.
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