VIVAnews - Yakobus Anunut, 37, must have been very distressed. His only daughter Sepri Anunut, 2, who suffered from diarrhea, had finally died in WZ Yohanes Hospital, Kupang.
He carried the liveless body of the baby to his home in Kelurahan Liliba, Oebobo Subdistrict, East Nusa Tenggara. He had to cover the 10-kilometer path from the hospital to the home village on foot.
It was not that he did not want to use hospital ambulance. "I didn't even have money to pay ojek (motorbike taxi). How could I afford Rp 300 thousand [to hire the ambulance]," he said.
The heartsick father said his daughter had been suffering from diarrhea since Sunday, Feb 8. Having no money, he took care of his child using traditional way. However, the sick baby went critical. It forced him to bring her daughter to the WZ Yohanes Hospital.
"My daughter was admitted to the emergency room," he said. "The [hospital] officials said there were no available rooms. I was carrying with me a social security card for the poor," he added.
Before being treated, Sepri Anunut died at 3am on Friday, Feb. 13. Medical officers moved the body to the morgue. According to Yakobus, the body was neglected.
Spending two hours waiting for the ambulance, the sad father met the person in charge of the ambulance and begged the person's help to bring home Sepri Anunut. Upon hearing that Yakobus had no money, the ambulance officer left him.
Yakobus only had one choice: Walking. He carried the unfortunate child in his arms and carried her all the way to their house. During the journey home, Yakobus fortunately saw a few youngsters from Oebobo. They gave a hand to Yakobus by taking the dead child into their pickup vehicle.
Being narrated the story, member of East Nusa Tenggara Regional House of Representatives, Karel Yani Mbuik, condemned the hospital management. "Hospital is not a place for business. Social services should be prioritized instead of seeking profits," said Mbuik.
According to Mbuik, every year East Nusa Tenggara House of Representatives allocates social service fund for Kupang Public Hospital amounting to Rp 28 billion (US$2.3 million).
Up until now, none of the hospital's officials has commented on the matter.
Coverage by: Jemris Fointuna |Kupang
Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
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