Tjahjono Gondhowiardjo D., MD, is the director of business development and education in Jakarta Eye Center (PT Dharma Nitrasanata) practicing since 1992 after completing his doctorate from the University of Amsterdam. Dr. Tjahjono played a major role in the development and progress of the Indonesian ophthalmology in the past decade; serving as head of the department of ophthalmology at the Medical Faculty of the University of the National Hospital of Indonesia-Cipto Mangunkusumo (1997-2004); Chairman of the Indonesian Ophthalmologist Association (2003-2010); Chairman of the Indonesian Committee for the Prevention of Blindness (2004-2007); and Vice President / Acting President of Indonesia Eye Bank (2005-2010). We meet to discuss eye health in Indonesia.
Can you please tell us when Jakarta Eye Center (JEC) was created and why?
We started as Klinik Mata Jakarta (Jakarta Eye Clinic), which was established on 1 February 1984 by the late Dr. Djoko Sarwono, Dr. Darwan Purba, the late Istiantoro professor and Dr. Bondan Haryono. The clinic has grown and transformed into an eye hospital (Jakarta Eye Center) in 1992. It is the vision of our founders have proven advanced technologies (diagnostic tools and intervention) to provide the best care of the eye for our patients. Our founders had a vision that all ophthalmologists working in our hospitals should also become shareholders and be prepared to work hard to maintain high standards of eye care, which could make our institution stand the test of time.
What specific services do you provide that differentiate JEC other specialized eye clinics?
From the beginning of the Eye Center, we decided to be an institution that deliver specialized in comprehensive eye care services; therefore, any ophthalmologist in our hospitals must have had sub-grants (especially abroad) and be proficient in knowledge and specific skills. Until now, many of us are actually leading people in our fields between Indonesia Ophthalmologist Society, ASEAN or the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology peer groups. Our leading expertise that is complementary to our intentions with the most current technologies, making us pioneers in many aspects of eye response services in Indonesia, as vitrectomy, phacoemulsification cataract surgery and the bladeless cataract surgery, refractive surgery procedures (photorefractive keratectomy, LASIK), and eye care for children.
Our passion to develop our professions to reach the world not only for ourselves; we distribute and share with our colleagues by performing the first scholarship program nationwide in 1997, a biennial international meeting JEC inviting many world-renowned speakers. Furthermore, through our success, we inspire our colleagues in many other cities to build and develop eye clinics or hospitals.
We are the founding members of the Association of ASEAN Eye Hospital (AAEH) and active members of the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH). Our hospital icon, JEC to Kedoya, is the first and only Indonesian eye hospital that is accredited by the International Joint Commission - accredited institution of international independent American hospital. Both JEC and JEC in Menteng Kedoya to have the highest levels of accreditation Hospital (KARS) in Indonesia.
What is the competition like for specialty hospitals of the eye to Jakarta?
One of our missions is delivering internationally recognized clinical standards in patient care in order to be competitive in the market for the upcoming ASEAN, so we still believe that our real competitors are eye clinics or hospitals in neighboring countries. At present, we compare closely many aspects of clinical and management indicators, either within AAEH and / or WAEH and are very proud that in many ways we are above average in most indicators . We see other national ophthalmological clinics or hospitals that our training partners rather than competitors. In fact, we often work with them to raise the level of ophthalmology and service standards for Indonesian eyes.
What do you treat eye diseases often here in Indonesia?
Both JEC and JEC Menteng Kedoya are tertiary eye centers, which means we can treat most eye problems here. While the JEC newly opened Cibubur is updated with diagnostic equipment and devices intervention offices, we can not make under topical or local anesthesia surgery.
The most common eye diseases we see are errors of refraction either children or adults, infections of the eye surface, and aging or degenerative diseases such as cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. The highest ranking of the intervention is the cataract surgery, followed by LASIK, vitreoretinal, glaucoma and ocular plastic surgery, and strabismus (squint) surgeries. We are the leading center in many methods of corneal transplants in Indonesia.
In your expert opinion, what is the biggest health problem when it comes to the view in Indonesia? Is malnutrition?
Based Indonesian pyramids of actual and projected age, cataracts and many other degenerative problems will always be the main challenges now and in the future. Like other developing countries, our diets strongly based carbohydrates and unhealthy lifestyles, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration are expected to be the main problems.
Does the eye care industry hold good business prospects in Indonesia? Is this expanding industry?
On the basis of the demographic pyramid, national economic growth and projected regional, and forecasts of health spending, we strongly believe that the healthcare industry as a basic human need, will continuously grow in Indonesia.
What people normally expect when they are looking for quality eye care?
Today, to provide quality eye care, you need the technology and the most up-to-do equipment, implement best practice standards and provide effective and timely service in a clean, convenient hotel. However, the public perception of eye health is divided into those who take it for granted and those who are afraid of their visual problems; Surveys based in Australia indicate that cancer and blindness are the most frightening health problems.
Thus, we believe that our patients need not only to be cured, but need relief from anxiety as well. For these reasons, we try to provide comprehensive care and uncompromising with a personalized approach. In addition, our patients in our hospitals will have the opportunity to learn and understand many aspects of eye problems offered by our educators for patients, and we hope that our patients will have a memorable experience seeing or conduct of measurement procedures, or even surgical procedures such LASIK. And finally, we strive to do our best to provide services based on value.
Thank you, Dr. Tjahjono. For more information, please visit www.jec.co.id