Do Indonesian hospitals keep citizens until they pay their bill?

[grauritter]

I just started talking to an Indonesian girl online and everything was normal for 2 weeks. Then she says she is in the hospital and they won't let her out until she pays the bill.
She has supposedly been there over a week now.
It feels like a scam to me, like she's trying to ask me to send her money.
So is it true that hospitals in Indonesia really keep their Indonesian citizens indefinitely until a bill is paid?

Thank you

 

[Jaime C]

Sounds suspect.

 

[grauritter]

I think so too. Thank you

 

[fastpitch17]

Already in the hospital for a week before it is mentioned? Tell her that it is great Indonesia makes BPJS (National Health Care Program) mandatory for everyone so they will cover the bill. She will probably suddenly say, "oh, ya" and be nice for another week or 2 before their is a sudden death in the family and they can't be buried until she can come up with the cash. If Muslim, the Mosque will make sure they are buried before the next sunset.

Run from this one. If you give anything it will get more and more worse.

 

[Shadrach]

Already in the hospital for a week before it is mentioned? Tell her that it is great Indonesia makes BPJS (National Health Care Program) mandatory for everyone so they will cover the bill. She will probably suddenly say, "oh, ya" and be nice for another week or 2 before their is a sudden death in the family and they can't be buried until she can come up with the cash. If Muslim, the Mosque will make sure they are buried before the next sunset.

Run from this one. If you give anything it will get more and more worse.

Next she will tell her Grandmother died again. Even though she has already died 2 times before. Offer her, that you will come to the hospital and pay the bill directly, and she will say, Oh No No, you can't do this. It is because, she is not even in the hospital! The same scam happened to my friend. He offered to pay directly at the hospital, and she started squawking like a chicken, being grabbed for the dinner pot! And the funny thing, he knew this, and kept giving money to many young Indonesian girls. He told me, he didn't care. He had the money, and liked the young Boom, Boom!
There are so many sad stories here, there's enough to fill a book!

 

[grauritter]

Already in the hospital for a week before it is mentioned? Tell her that it is great Indonesia makes BPJS (National Health Care Program) mandatory for everyone so they will cover the bill. She will probably suddenly say, "oh, ya" and be nice for another week or 2 before their is a sudden death in the family and they can't be buried until she can come up with the cash. If Muslim, the Mosque will make sure they are buried before the next sunset.

Run from this one. If you give anything it will get more and more worse.

Hahaha good idea and you're probably right

 

[grauritter]

Next she will tell her Grandmother died again. Even though she has already died 2 times before. Offer her, that you will come to the hospital and pay the bill directly, and she will say, Oh No No, you can't do this. It is because, she is not even in the hospital! The same scam happened to my friend. He offered to pay directly at the hospital, and she started squawking like a chicken, being grabbed for the dinner pot! And the funny thing, he knew this, and kept giving money to many young Indonesian girls. He told me, he didn't care. He had the money, and liked the young Boom, Boom!
There are so many sad stories here, there's enough to fill a book!

I believe it! Same stories in all of those countries

 

[ilovered]

Saved a friend 150mill rupiah (can anyone help how many USD is this amount now?) from this one.

He was talking to this girl, they've met. then suddenly she called saying that she needed a surgery bla bla bla and it would be around 150mill. Little did she know, he and I had been platonic friends for many years before she knew him and he hid nothing from me.
He asked me the same Q that you asked here. I just had 2 surgeries on my knee with tonnes of MRI imaging from a high end govt hospital (think the hospital that the president would be rushed into if he gets papercut or even stroke) and it cost less than that.
I squeezed her details out (name, hospital, room number, illness etc). Got myself a throwaway number and had a nice chitchat via phone call with the said hospital and I even had someone came there to check (my brother lived near the said hospital that time).
Long story short, it was a scam.
He blocked her as soon as it was confirmed.

So, in conclusion: this is a scam.

Indonesia has a national insurance that is now mandatory (kinda) for the residents. And if she can't afford treatment, she should've checked into a govt hospital, and they will treat her for free.

 

[jstar]

Just do a video call in WA. You will know right away if she’s in a hospital.

 

[merahputih]

So is it true that hospitals in Indonesia really keep their Indonesian citizens indefinitely until a bill is paid?

Probably not indefinitely. Long time ago, the hospital will try this way to "force" or "scare" people to pay because the longer they stay, the bigger the bill. When people leave the hospital without paying, it's hard for the hospital to collect the money and it's not a case that they will bring to the police/court. I also never heard debt collectors that work for a hospital, can't imagine.
Not sure if that's still the case after BPJS is implemented years ago.

It feels like a scam to me, like she's trying to ask me to send her money.

Always possible.

 

[Shadrach]

Probably not indefinitely. Long time ago, the hospital will try this way to "force" or "scare" people to pay because the longer they stay, the bigger the bill. When people leave the hospital without paying, it's hard for the hospital to collect the money and it's not a case that they will bring to the police/court. I also never heard debt collectors that work for a hospital, can't imagine.
Not sure if that's still the case after BPJS is implemented years ago.

Always possible.

When I went to Sanglah Wing International, for some minor skin surgery, they would not accept BPJS insurance, and made me pay cash before anything was done! I thought, this is not good. What if they screw up the surgery, and I am left in worse condition? They say, that's the way it is!
I had to pay, but so far this time, the Doctor's seem to be doing an good job. Time will tell.
Once before at the same hospital. I had surgery on a torn rotary cuff. And had to pay up front. The surgery was a failure, and now, My shoulder is dis- located. I can't lift my arm above my waist, and the bones in my shoulder move in all directions. It gives me daily pain, which I have to use painkillers daily for. I am very upset about this, and don't know what to do. Is it possible to file a law suit? Is it possible to have them do corrective surgery, at their expense?
So, all I can say is, Good Luck!

 

[centurion]

You do not need a sick

When I went to Sanglah Wing International, for some minor skin surgery, they would not accept BPJS insurance, and made me pay cash before anything was done! I thought, this is not good. What if they screw up the surgery, and I am left in worse condition? They say, that's the way it is!
I had to pay, but so far this time, the Doctor's seem to be doing an good job. Time will tell.
Once before at the same hospital. I had surgery on a torn rotary cuff. And had to pay up front. The surgery was a failure, and now, My shoulder is dis- located. I can't lift my arm above my waist, and the bones in my shoulder move in all directions. It gives me daily pain, which I have to use painkillers daily for. I am very upset about this, and don't know what to do. Is it possible to file a law suit? Is it possible to have them do corrective surgery, at their expense?
So, all I can say is, Good Luck!

If you have money to pay lawsuit better use that money to get some decent treatment abroad.

Alternative is to go to some top Indonesian hospital.

 

[fastpitch17]

I am very upset about this, and don't know what to do. Is it possible to file a law suit? Is it possible to have them do corrective surgery, at their expense?

I have only read about one case where someone wanted to sue a doctor for malpractice. In the end the victim had to first file a police report and then it gets investigated. If the investigation shows there was intentional malpractice then the case goes to the AG for approval and if so, then to court. I this case it was scheduled for court when all the doctors in that hospital threatened to go on strike if the said doctor is on trial. The case was then dropped. There is no malpractice here. No malpractice insurance of any kind. I can only imagine that by the time this case came to an end the victim was out a considerable amount of money.

 

[nd_eric_77]

For what it's worth, I had a failed operation. The surgeon waived his fee to do it over the next night (the second time was successful). However, the surgeon's fee was a pretty small fraction of the total bill. My insurance and I were still on the hook for the anesthesiologist, nurses, medication, and a lot of other fees. So it goes. I am still better off paying medical bills here than I would be back in the US (even with insurance).

 

[Shadrach]

You suggest going to a top Indonesian hospital. I would think if the name is Sanglah Wing International, that would be a top hospital. I have been to Siloam, Ibu Kasih, and Sanglah. I don't see much difference in them. It's a gamble to go to any of them. The same doctors work between them all, at different times.

 

[Balifrog]

I believe it! Same stories in all of those countries

In all SEA you learn to become cynical. And never believe anything.

 

[centurion]

You suggest going to a top Indonesian hospital. I would think if the name is Sanglah Wing International, that would be a top hospital. I have been to Siloam, Ibu Kasih, and Sanglah. I don't see much difference in them. It's a gamble to go to any of them. The same doctors work between them all, at different times.

The top Indonesian hospital that I know is RSCM( Cipto Mangunkusumo) in Jakarta. All relevant Indonesian professors are there. I know some peope that have done repairs there after getting previous mistreatements in other places.