TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A doctor at referral polyclinic of Tebet community health center, Sri Sudewi, has lamented Jakartans’ underestimating the role of health centers.
“Patients who come to us sometimes just directly ask to be referred to a hospital once the diagnosis is made, whereas they can still be handled by the health center,” she told Tempo on Monday, September 22, 2014.
Sri said the facilities at health centers nowadays were already complete, thus they could serve as the vanguard of public health services. “We can’t just give them referral letters. Everything must first be handled here,” she said.
According to Sri, health centers at the sub-district level were now capable of attending to 144 disease diagnoses, beginning from light diseases of the skin to nerve system, psychiatry, eyes, ears, nose, lungs, cardiovascular, hepatitis A, kidney and urinary tract, gastrointestinal and pancreas. “Health centers are now equipped with hospital facilities and a 24-hour emergency unit,” she said.
Tebet health centers care for 500 patients daily, with only 40 among them given referral letters to a general hospital.
INDRI MAULIDAR
