What I call as Common Civilians

So many of us Indonesians lately have been sensitive enough regarding to issue of criminalization towards Medical Doctors. Not enough being faced to many NGOs and some lawyers run around in hospitals to find medical cases they can aggravate by provoking the patients' family to sue the doctors for what God or Karma or Science does, now the Indonesian Criminal Court also goes unfair.

The story began when an obstetric patient died due to air embolism in the heart that then disrupted the flow of oxygen within the blood circulation of the patient. When patient came to the hospital, she was already pale and weak. Because she's pregnant and was about to give delivery already, the doctor then decided it's emergency case and C-section was to be done ASAP.

The air embolism was unknown (and is indeed impossible to be detected by anyhow). The possible mechanism of the air embolism itself also varied, but as a medical student I know it certainly that doctors are less likely to make mistakes when they placed fluid infusion to any patient. One of was probably it was due to the complication of condition of the patient itself that somehow might cause the air embolism.

Surprisingly, even after the expert witness explained this to the court, The Indonesian Supreme Court still decided to prosecute the defendants, the doctors who tried their best and of course based on standard of operational procedure. I've read the official document issued by the Supreme Court regarding to the sentences, and many of the statements there were rather irrational medically speaking. Especially when it accused many of already right operational procedure performed in the case.

In the document, it was mentioned several possible reasons of why the defendants are guilty. The only appropriate and possible one for me to prosecute the Medical Doctors in the case is the Spurious Signature. However, we've still got problems, which are 1) Is it really a fake or just another kind of informed consent used in emergency cases? 2) Be it fake, I firmly believe then the case is not Malpractice, but merely legality of document.

I don't have to say that it baffles me of how come in Law procedure, the basis of prosecution uses "Or" indicating that the judges aren't certain which really can criminalize the defendants. Well, I'm not a law student, and you can download & read the document yourself. But one thing for sure, in medicine, we cannot treat anyone when we still have assorted "maybe". We must rule out first other differential diagnosis before we make decision. Because in science, everything must be certain. All are based on evidence, based on systematic observation, must be logically explainable. And that's how Medical Professionals work.

Many of my medical acquaintances express their sorry upon this case. They believe that it is unjust to demand doctors to be God. In Indonesia, the minimum wage of doctors is already much lower than labors and everyone doesn't seem to bother themselves with that. Many of doctors live as middle-low class society. Doctors, even so, don't have much bargaining power to protest it, and demonstration isn't the culture of them, not to mention it's better to read textbooks when they have leisure time. But society don't seem to care and now pushing doctors even further.

However, this time as of today, is the first time ever in Indonesia that Medical Professionals will get out of their comfort zone. Demonstration in Jakarta and many strikes in other cities will happen, done by Medical Doctors. Not because of the money like labors did, but because of unfairness of law that keeps criminalizing the doctors.

I personally think that this is exactly what will always happen when it comes to battle between the humankind demand v.s. Science. Humankind tends to act irrationally when it comes to demand. They ask what they think right for them although it means against the logic. Meanwhile, science, although it is dynamics through new findings and discoveries, it tends to be attributively absolute. Certainty in science can only be changed when two different fields of science emphasize a certain scientific case through different approach, or changed when new ways or technologies are served to observe further. However once systemically discovered and proved, the logic cannot be refuted.

But the thing is, that's what distinguishes common civilians and the doctors. Just like how Astrophysicists cannot be understood by other people when they speak scientific cosmology and hence may be accused as blasphemers. Doctors speak doctor. Doctors speak science. Doctors speak law of biologic nature that God or Universe creates. But people always wish for different things, wish to be against the law of nature, wish to defy every scientific explanation in accordance with their own expectations.

And there are also times when even Medical Doctors, despite knowing the science, become the same as common civilians. Because when science speaks truth, we all just know that it hurts. And we just don't like it, and thus we deny it.

After all, this case shows that indeed the existence of God is very important. People need God everytime. People need God to grant their wish although it means against nature. However, it turns out people's faith is in fact very shallow. People hope for other humans to be God, then demand these other humans to always give what they ask. And when they are disappointed to find out that these other humans are not God at all, they sue them. Perhaps human being is the only creature who foolishly tend to act opposing the way of how Universe works. Perhaps the opposite of nature is human.