Indonesia
Society
A young dengue patient undergoes treatment at Loekmono Hadi Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Kudus, Central Java on Feb. 5, 2024. Health authorities in the regency records a 25 percent increase of dengue fever patients in January to 55 cases compared to the previous month. (Antara/Yusuf Nugroho)
The death of a National Health Insurance (JKN) patient after waiting hours for a hospital bed, coupled with insensitive social media remarks by healthcare workers responding to his earlier complaint, has intensified scrutiny of Indonesia's strained healthcare system and professional ethics.A number of doctors, dentists and nurses have come under fire after posting derisive comments on a Thread post on July 22 in which the patient shared his experience waiting eight hours for an inpatient bed.
Some mocked him for “being poor” because he relied on the state-funded insurance scheme, while others said he lacked “ brain cells”. The patient died several days later due to delays in receiving hospital treatment, his relatives said.
