Indo Health Care System

Yesterday (Thursday) gets the prize for my most interesting and traumatic day since I’ve arrived in Indonesia.

One of my coworkers and I were returning to the office after running errands, and as we were turning right another motorbike going straight clipped us from behind. We were fine – our bike had no damage. However, the other bike (which was carrying three people: an old man, a child, and a woman) crashed. The woman and child were okay, but the man, who was driving, was knocked unconscious and just lay on the ground.

(Here, I should say that my first day in Ponti I bought a very nice, safe, helmet to guard against accidents like this one).

The accident happened in the middle of a busy intersection. My coworker and I left our bike parked by the side of the road and ran back to the scene of the accident. All my first aid training in the US screamed at me that we should not move the man – he could have spinal trauma. Apparently this sort of training doesn’t apply in Indonesia. Onlookers immediately rolled the man onto his back, and my coworker and I were told to pick him up and put him in a car for transport to a nearby hospital. We basically stuffed the guy into the backseat of the very small car, with me holding his head and my coworker at his feet. The man had obvious head trauma, with a cut above the eye and a bloody nose. By the time we put him in the car, he was partly conscious again and able to hold a tissue to his nose to stop the bleeding.

When we arrived at the hospital, the man was well enough to sit up in the car to be helped onto a stretcher. My coworker and I followed him into the hospital, and I started wondering about the man’s family (how could they know where he was?) and our bike (it was left by the side of the road with the keys in the ignition). Luckily the bike and the family were found – the bike was at the police office, and the family showed up at the hospital shortly after we arrived.

Due to my odd appearance (tall and blond) that was attracting too much attention, my coworkers decided it was best that I leave the hospital so I returned to the office to wait. About three hours later everyone returned and I got a quick lesson in Indonesian culture and medical insurance policy. In an accident, the person who is hurt does not have to pay, even if the accident is his/her fault. For example, if a motorbike illegally turns in front of a car and is hit, the car owner has to pay for the motorbike driver’s medical expenses. Thus my coworker and I are responsible for the old man’s medical expenses. This arrangement seemed odd and unfortunate to me at first; why don’t people have medical insurance? Or maybe the government should pay? On the other hand it is a system based on goodwill, and means that everyone receives treatment regardless of ability to pay.

Luckily health care in Indo is not very expensive – the total hospital bill, including sutures, an overnight hospital stay, and blood-work totals about $100. Everyone here at the office is in a bit of shock, but Indonesian people can laugh about these things no problem so we’ve laughed lots the last day about the string of bad luck many folks connected to SIMPUR have experienced over the last few weeks.

Back to work…this is my last weekend in Ponti, I go to the field next Tuesday or Wednesday. Yahoo!!