The death of a four-month-old baby who was allegedly turned away from a hospital in Jakarta has made headlines across Indonesia.
The parents of the baby girl say the Mitra Keluarga private hospital in West Jakarta refused to treat her because they could not pay a 20 million Rupiah ($1,900) cash advance to transfer the baby to an intensive care unit.
The girl's father, Rudianto Simanjorang, said he drove to a nearby ATM and withdrew the family's savings of 5 million Rupiah ($470) but alleged the hospital staff told him it was not enough and he should take the baby to a nearby public hospital instead.
Tiara Deborah Simanjorang later died from breathing difficulties.
The hospital said baby Deborah received initial care in the emergency department and staff then recommended she be taken to a nearby public hospital, where the family's government health insurance could be used.
"Considering the paediatric intensive care unit treatments are costly, we want to make sure that the patient can effectively cover the financial cost of the long period of treatment," the hospital's managing director, Fransiska Dewi, was quoted as saying in the local press.
Baby Deborah died in her mother's arms in the hospital's emergency room six hours after arriving.
Indonesian Health Minister Nila Moeloek said the case would be investigated and the hospital would be sanctioned if it was found not to have delivered a health service to save the girl's life.
"Either in the government or private hospitals we have to give health assistance regardless of the cost, that is a must," she said.
The baby's death certificate said she died from a non-infectious disease, and she was buried without an autopsy.
The hospital offered its condolences to the family.
