Posted on 01/25/2007 7:36:06 AM PST by presidio9
An Indonesian clinic is keeping a baby until her impoverished parents pay the escalating bill for her delivery and care.
Her father Sutrisno, who pedals a bicyle-taxi, is 2.2 million rupiah (about 250 dollars) short of the 3.5 million rupiah owed to the clinic, The Jakarta Post reported Thursday.
The 33-year-old has so far paid 1.3 million rupiah to the Murni Asih clinic near Jakarta after borrowing from friends to cover the birth of his baby girl, earlier reported as a boy.
"I don't know where I'll get another 2.2 million rupiah from," said Sutrisno, who earns between 10,000 (just over a dollar) and 15,000 rupiah a day.
The clinic in Bojong Nangka allowed his wife Sumarni, 30, to leave on January 2 but is keeping the baby until the bill is paid, said the Kompas daily.
It said the bill has been mounting day by day as the clinic adds the costs of looking after Alfiah, who was born near midnight on December 21.
"We'll take care of the baby and will return ... (her to her) parents as soon as they've paid the 3.5 million rupiah in full," clinic spokesman Fendi Sihombing told the Post.
He said the parents had initially agreed to the arrangement, adding, "We didn't take the baby hostage."
Holding a baby until its parents pay is not uncommon in Indonesia.
The ministry of health runs a health insurance programme for the poor but the couple did not have the relevant card.
Sutrisno had failed in his efforts to obtain one as he did not have valid proof that he was a registered resident of the neighbourhood, the Kompas said.
Me too, Good Lord.
You really can't assume that the mother would do a better job of caring for the child. The fact that they hadn't the tenacity to have the requisite gubmint card is a clue, ya know?
This just can't be right according to Islamic law. I seem to remember quite a few Quran passages that should require them to give the parents the kid, and possibly even forgive the debt.
Didn't we go through this same scenario a few months back, only with the Palestinians?
The dude rides a bicycle for a living. Probably can't sign his own name. Give them some credit. Mothers knew how to take care of babies long before the essential invention of requisite gubmint cards.
Your point is well taken. It's the system that's flawed, not these parents.
When people on entitlements in our country fail to get their requisite gubmint cards, the media - without fail - reports that [X] amount of people aren't getting health care.
When I was a welfare worker, people like these would have been certified for coverage at the hospital. But after that, it's up to the parents to get to the welfare office to get the requisite gubmint card.
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