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Megawati Blames Politics for Standing in Way of Free Health Care Plan
Markus Junianto Sihaloho | August 25, 2010

Megawati Sukarnoputri, center in this file photo, said on Wednesday that government inaction on health care could lead to civil unrest. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara) Megawati Sukarnoputri, center in this file photo, said on Wednesday that government inaction on health care could lead to civil unrest. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
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foto4mike
8:41pm Aug 25, 2010

Megawati failed herself while serving as VP and President. It was her administration which served the corrupt officials and left a lot of things being left behind. So why sheding crocodile tears now? People won't vote for her in the nect elections again!

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Jakarta. Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Wednesday accused the government of letting politics get in the way of providing free health care to the poor.

The chairwoman of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) made the accusations after finding out that a hospital ready to provide free care, an initiative by a PDI-P lawmaker in Banten, had been waiting more than a year for a license to operate.

“Why aren’t we given a chance to provide medical service? It’s for the sake of people who cannot pay medical bills,” a visibly upset Megawati told an internal PDI-P meeting at the party’s compound in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta.

“Is this because the initiative came from PDI-P? Please don’t politicize this matter, the government should provide support.”

The hospital is a project of lawmaker Ribka Tjiptaning, a member of the House of Representative’s Commission IX, which oversees health affairs.

Megawati, a staunch critic of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, praised Ribka for trying to provide affordable health care for those who need it. “It’s very hard to find people like her,” she added.

Another PDI-P lawmaker from the House commission, Caroline Margret Natasa, said the hospital’s license application was filed a year and a half year ago.

“But the government has not issued it, without giving any reason,” she said. “So we have the building and medical facilities, we have doctors who are ready to serve, but we cannot start working.”

Megawati said the hospital had about a hundred beds and aimed to provide free treatment for the poor, as regular Indonesian health care providers are too expensive for this group.

Caroline added that the project was initiated to ensure the provision of affordable health care to all, as stipulated in the 2009 Health Law, which the government has failed to do.

Such attitude from the government, Megawati said, would only lead to anger and hatred of the government.

Megawati said the people believed the government was not providing enough options for citizens to make themselves heard, while at the same time not providing solutions for their problems.

Her dialogues with the poor, Megawati said, revealed that they were most concerned about the high prices of basic commodities as well as poor standards of education and medical treatment.

She warned the government  that such conditions could result in social unrest.

“Under the current conditions created by the government, this anger could easily spread,” Megawati said.

Yudhoyono was a trusted aide of Megawati, serving as a minister under her. The relationship, however, soured when he ran against her for the presidency, beating her in the 2004 and then in the 2009 elections.