Jakarta – A pregnant woman and her unborn child in Jayapura regency, Papua, died after a series of local hospitals reportedly declined to treat her during labour, underscoring chronic problems in the region's healthcare system.
According to the family, the woman, identified as Irene Sokoy, began experiencing signs of labor at around 3 a.m. on Sunday (Nov 16). Her husband immediately transported her by speedboat from their home in Hobong village, located on an island in Lake Sentani, to Yowari Regional Hospital, approximately 13 kilometres away.
At Yowari Hospital, staff informed the family that Irene required an emergency cesarean section. However, the hospital could not perform the operation at that time and referred her to Dian Harapan Hospital, about 25 kilometres away.
When they arrived at Dian Harapan Hospital, staff informed the family that the facility could not perform the C-section and referred them to Abepura Regional General Hospital, about six kilometres away.
However, according to the husband, Abepura Hospital also declined to treat Irene and redirected them to Bhayangkara Hospital, seven kilometres farther. At Bhayangkara Hospital, the family was reportedly told that the operation would cost Rp 8 million (US$478) and that they would need to pay Rp 4 million upfront.
Unable to afford the cost, Irene's husband decided to continue to Jayapura Regional Hospital, another 12 kilometers away. During the journey, Irene suffered a seizure. Both she and her unborn baby died before reaching the hospital.
Yowari Hospital director Maryen Braweri confirmed that Irene had initially been undergoing normal labour at the hospital, but complications arose due to the baby's size and the prolonged labour. Doctors then determined that she required an emergency C-section.
"Our hospital only has one obstetrician, who happened to be out of town at the time. Given the risk to both mother and baby, staff referred Irene to Dian Harapan Hospital as the nearest facility that could potentially handle the emergency," she said on Thursday, as quoted by Tribunnews.
Dian Harapan Hospital deputy director Aloysius Giyai stated that it could not perform the C-section because the NICU was at full capacity, the maternity ward was full, the hospital's only obstetrician was on leave and the on-call anesthesiologist was not immediately available for an emergency operation.
Meanwhile, Bhayangkara Hospital director Sr. Adj. Comr. Romy Sebastian said Irene was covered by the government's subsidised national health insurance programme (JKN), but the rooms specifically allocated for subsidised JKN patients were full when she arrived.
"We only had VIP rooms available, so we offered the family the option to pay out of pocket, but we did not demand an upfront payment," Romy said on Friday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
Abepura Hospital has not released a public statement. However, according to Yowari Hospital's director Maryen, the hospital declined to treat Irene because its operating room was undergoing renovation.
The death of Irene has triggered widespread outrage on social media, with many expressing frustration over the healthcare system's failure to provide timely treatment.
Netizens highlighted that if a woman in Papua's capital, Jayapura, could die due to delayed care, the situation for women giving birth in more remote regions must be even more dire.
Head of Indonesia Health Volunteers (Rekan), Agung Nugroho, said Irene's case underscored long-standing systemic issues contributing to maternal deaths in the region. "The death of Irene cannot be considered an ordinary incident. Data show Papua has a maternal mortality rate of 565 per 100,000 live births, the highest in Indonesia and far above the national average of 189," he said on Thursday, as quoted by Antara.
"Research has shown that Papua faces persistent problems in maternal emergency services and referral processes, including delays in decision-making, inadequate patient stabilisation and uneven distribution of medical personnel," Agung added.
He urged the government to conduct a thorough review of hospital referral processes, including an evaluation of the facilities involved in Irene's death.
He also called on authorities to increase the number of specialised doctors, improve the skills of healthcare professionals and establish emergency funding mechanisms for families who cannot afford care.
"In a city with multiple hospitals, no mother should die because of bureaucracy or denial of service. This must not happen again. The government must act immediately," Agung said. (The Jakarta Post/ANN)