Medical services in Semarang have created a negative and discriminative experience for patient NN, which was expressed afterwards by counselor and HIV/AIDS activist Andreas Bambang.
This is how the story goes: NN, a woman from a remote village in the region Tengaran (in the Semarang regency) was being refused treatment at the health center because she did not bring a doctor’s referral letter. Even worse: NN’s identity, including the fact that she is affected with HIV, was "leaked" by one of the nurses.
This is how the story goes: NN, a woman from a remote village in the region Tengaran (in the Semarang regency) was being refused treatment at the health center because she did not bring a doctor’s referral letter. Even worse: NN’s identity, including the fact that she is affected with HIV, was "leaked" by one of the nurses.
Andreas Bambang explained: "The officer asked NN: 'Who told you to come here?', so NN mentioned my name. The officer then said: 'Oh, Andreas is not a doctor, but a person who is taking care of people who have AIDS', but she talked so loudly that many people could hear it.”
NN then got to Salatiga Hospital and again she was rejected. The doctor on call argued that there was no disease, although NN insisted that her stomach was very painful. Then NN was offered an anti-pain injection, but she had to pay for it, even though the patient was holding her JAMKESNAS card (a social measure for free health treatment).
That this kind of stigma and discrimination for people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) actually comes from the medical community in Semarang is very bad indeed, because they should know exactly what these people need. I think that the government should take this issue even more seriously and instruct the medical professionals accordingly.
NN then got to Salatiga Hospital and again she was rejected. The doctor on call argued that there was no disease, although NN insisted that her stomach was very painful. Then NN was offered an anti-pain injection, but she had to pay for it, even though the patient was holding her JAMKESNAS card (a social measure for free health treatment).
That this kind of stigma and discrimination for people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) actually comes from the medical community in Semarang is very bad indeed, because they should know exactly what these people need. I think that the government should take this issue even more seriously and instruct the medical professionals accordingly.
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