In Reply to: Balinese and the hospital system posted by LynneeD on Saturday, 18. June 2005 at 16:55 Bali Time:
Health insurances, for the fews who have them, pay for a part of medical services, as insurances do. Most Balinese do not have health insurances, because it's too expensive. Some employers provide health insurance for their employees, which only cover basic medical services, such as doctor visits, and that's it. When taken to a hospital for an emergency, you will be taken care of, but you must pay afterwards. For any follow-up treatment, you must show the money first.
Two years ago, one of my Balinese good friends had a heart attack: five days in the hospital, including two in the ICU. He was told at the time that he would need a stent put in: Rp 30 millions. He was stabilized and sent home: "Come back when you have the money." He scraped his savings, borrowed Rp10M from his bother-in-law, sold his car for Rp4M, and we gave him the rest, Rp11M. He got the stent put in two months later, and he has been fine ever since.