Health consumer participation, medical dominance and digital ethics in Indonesia: the Prita Case

ABSTRACT

During the period 2009–2012, Prita Mulyasari, a resident of Tangerang, Indonesia, was embroiled in a defamation dispute with Omni International Hospital. The legal case was instigated by the Hospital in response to a specific e-mail Prita sent to family, friends and colleagues about her health-care experience that subsequently went viral. In this paper, we discuss health consumer participation, medical dominance and digital ethics in a context of changing social norms and expanding use of digital technology in Indonesia. We argue that digital technology is changing health consumer participation and opening up avenues for challenge to medical privilege; however, this development is set against the use of the law to reinforce privilege and limit participation.

KEYWORDS:

• Prita Case
• health consumer participation
• medical dominance
• digital ethics
• Indonesia

Acknowledgements

The authors thank most sincerely the reviewers for their thoughtful and helpful advice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.