"We hope the Supreme Court (MA) will process the judicial review quickly so that the case can be seen clearly," the minister said.
Jakarta, Nov 27 (Antara) - Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi has urged for a speedy judicial review in the malpractice case against Dr. Ayu and her associates that has triggered demonstrations in many places across the country.

"We hope the Supreme Court (MA) will process the judicial review quickly so that the case can be seen clearly," the minister said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Nafsiah stated that she would not intervene in the process but would take the help of medical experts as witnesses in case it was needed.

"Our task is to give a technical explanation with regards to the medical aspects of the case so that the MA can give as fair a ruling as possible," she noted.

The minister has also asked for the suspension of the detention of the concerned doctors, in order to allow them to carry out their respective duties.

"We hope that these doctors will be allowed to carry out their duties during the judicial process. I guarantee that they will not try to escape," she said.

Nafsiah said doctors were sworn to dedicating their lives to humanity and so she believed that no doctor intended killing his or her patient.

"No one would become a doctor with the aim of killing people. Certainly their only intention is to save ones life," she reiterated.

She said the doctors were also bound by existing regulations, including laws, ministerial decisions and hospital regulations.

"Moreover this hospital (where the doctors worked) was a teaching hospital and so the regulations followed there must be more stringent," the minister stated.

Meanwhile, MA official David MT Simanjuntak said that the MA had received the application for judicial review from Sabas Sinaga, the lawyer of the doctors concerned.

MA spokesman Ridwan Mansyur revealed that the application was now being processed.

He said inputs from the Indonesian Medical Association were also being used by the MA Chief Justice during the process.

Dr. Dewa Ayu Sasiary Prawani SpOG, Dr. Hendy Siagian SpOG and Dr. Hendry Simanjuntak, who were practicing at a hospital in Manado in North Sulawesi, had been convicted for committing malpractice by the Supreme Court and had been sent to jail.

The three gynecologists had conducted an emergency C-section operation on Julia Fransiska Makatey (25) at 10 p.m. in the Manado hospital on April 10, 2010 after the patient failed to deliver a baby normally, despite trying to do so since 6 p.m.

The patient had died during the operation, because of which the Supreme Court had sentenced the doctors to 10 months in jail, dismissing two lower courts earlier rulings to acquit them of any crime.

This had resulted in protests from doctors across the country, who considered the ruling as an attempt to criminalize the medical profession. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013