VZCZCXRO6376
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJS #0017 0500752
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190752Z FEB 09
FM AMCONSUL SURABAYA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0366
INFO RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 0372
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0058
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 0351
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0177
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SURABAYA 000017 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, INR/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SOCI ID
SUBJECT: EAST JAVA: BOY HEALER GIVING HEALTH MINISTER A BLACK EYE 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Seeking a cure from water blessed by a ten 
year old boy, thousands are flocking to a small village near the 
East Java city of Jombang. Provincial authorities have tried to 
stop the flood of potential patients, but with marginal success. 
Four have died while queuing to see the boy. East Java's new 
Governor Soekarwo publicly blamed inadequate access to health 
care for this turn to superstition. Rankled by critics, 
Indonesian Health Minister Supari has struggled to refocus blame 
onto East Java's health service and away from her Ministry. The 
phenomenon illustrates the range of problems faced by 
Indonesia's largest province in serving its poorest citizens. 
End Summary. 
 
The Health Minister Blames the Province 
 
¶2. (SBU) Indonesia's health care system has been the subject of 
a continuous drumbeat of negative news reports over the past few 
months. In recent days, local media have increased the tempo, 
headlining heart-rending tales of woe from thousands flocking to 
be cured by Ponari, a 10-year old faith healer living in rural 
East Java. Bristling at the growing criticism of Indonesia's 
healthcare system, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari blamed 
regional autonomy for the public's discontent. In recent 
testimony before the Health Committee of Indonesia's House of 
Representatives, Supari said that those eligible for no-cost 
public health insurance are too often denied services by local 
clinics. As for Ponari, Supari said, people will lose interest 
once they see that the ill do not recover. 
 
The Governor Blames the Health Service 
 
¶3. (SBU) Responding to daily television interviews with 
villagers crying over the failure of conventional treatment, 
newly inaugurated Governor Soekarwo complained that health care 
for the poor is expensive and local clinics fail to reach those 
most at risk. Soekarwo added that the closure of Ponari's 
"practice" by police following the death of four while waiting 
in line was only part of the solution; a concrete policy 
response is also required, including increased funding for 
health services. Soekarwo also proposed reaching out to sick 
villagers by providing friendly and free health care. While the 
politicians trade accusations, the poor still flock to Ponari's 
home looking for a cure. 
 
Rush for Miracles Sparks Healthcare Debate 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Head of Surabaya's Municipal Health Department, 
Esty Rachmie, told the Consulate that the Ponari phenomenon is a 
sign that something is wrong with the system. Management and 
outreach at local clinics remains subpar despite gradual 
improvement in access and staffing. While Esty accepted the need 
to improve local healthcare delivery, she echoed the Health 
Minister's comments blaming regional autonomy for creating wide 
disparities in quality and services. As Esty explained, in many 
of East Java's regencies, health education is inadequate and 
contract physicians working for East Java's Provincial Health 
Service too often neglect their role as health educators. 
 
The Money in Meteor-Powered Healthcare 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ponari traces his healing powers to a knock on the head 
by a walnut-sized meteorite on January 17. A few days after 
being struck, Ponari dipped the stone in a glass of water and 
offered his sick neighbor a drink as a cure. The neighbor was 
reportedly cured and Ponari's reputation as a healer quickly 
grew. Now a girl named Dewi claims to have been hit with a 
similar meteorite and prospective patients have begun arriving 
at her door. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Ponari's family has collected an estimated billion 
rupiah (USD 84,000) from his patients so far. This is no small 
feat in a province where the legal minimum wage provides less 
than three dollars a day. Press reports suggest that the bulk of 
this income might have come from a few wealthy donors. However, 
the long lines in front of Ponari's house suggest that there 
have been many willing to pay the equivalent of twenty cents for 
a glass of Ponari's water. For now, Jombang authorities have 
succeeded in reducing the hoards descending on Ponari, but as 
local copycat healers arrive on the scene, controversy about 
what allowed him to flourish will continue. 
 
MCCLELLAND