“Bali Medical Kickbacks Exposed: Why Your Ambulance Route Might Be Determined By Driver Commissions, Not Actual Emergencies” – Giostanovlatto
BALI โ In most of Indonesia, the word “susuk” conjures images of black magic: tiny metal charms slipped under the skin for wealth, love, or supernatural buffs. Think “dark Javanese aesthetic” meets “get-rich-quick scheme.”
But in Bali, susuk is hilariously mundaneโit just means “change” from a cash transaction. Buy a nasi bungkus for Rp7,000, pay with Rp10,000, and voilร : your susuk is Rp3,000. Cute, right?
Until hospitals got creative.
Now, susuk has a sinister new alias: under-the-table kickbacks paid to drivers, touts, or even friendly neighborhood motorbike gangsters for “delivering” patients to certain hospitals. Thatโs rightโhuman beings as commission-based commodities, traded like bulk orders of babi guling.
If this rumorโs true, itโs not just illegalโitโs a masterclass in moral gymnastics. Imagine: a healthcare system fighting for transparency while staff whisper, “Psstโฆ bring us a broken leg, get 10% cashback!”
Stay tuned. Weโre dissecting how Baliโs ERs risk becoming “patient showrooms”โwhere your pain is someone elseโs profit margin.
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DISCLAIMER: WHY WEโRE NOT NAMING NAMES (YET)
Hey Bali has obtained verified evidenceโincluding driver testimonies, WhatsApp screenshots, and transfer receiptsโthat confirm susuk medis kickbacks are happening at specific private hospitals in Bali.
However, weโve deliberately redacted the names and logos of these facilities because:
- Not All Private Hospitals Are Guilty
This investigation targets a corrupt system, not Baliโs entire healthcare sector. Many private hospitals operate ethicallyโand we refuse to tar them with the same brush. - Legal & Ethical Responsibility
Naming institutions without absolute, court-ready proof risks defamation lawsuits that could silence this exposรฉ. Weโd rather protect our sources and keep digging. - The Bigger Picture
This isnโt about one bad appleโitโs about a rotten incentive structure that could spread. By exposing the mechanism (not just the players), we push for systemic change.
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“Bali Medical Kickbacks”: How Hospitals Turn Tourists Into Commission-Based Commodities
Forget “patient care”โhereโs how Baliโs healthcare system has quietly mastered “patient hunting.” The so-called “susuk medis” (medical kickbacks) scheme operates like a shadow economy, where drivers, hotel staff, and even motorcycle gangs earn Rp125,000 per head for delivering sick tourists to certain private hospitals.
Anatomy of a Kickback: Rp125,000 Per Warm Body
What locals euphemistically call “susuk medis” operates with the clinical precision of a pyramid scheme crossed with food delivery app:
- The Patient Acquisition Phase
- Driver spots tourist clutching stomach (“You go good hospital, my friend!”)
- Strategic ER drop-off (“No, not that public hospitalโthis nice private one!”)
- Immediate medical theater (white coats swarm patient like they’ve found a VIP)
- The Paperwork Charade
- Security hands driver what looks like a parking voucherโbut is actually a kickback invoice requiring:
โ Driver’s banking details (“For ‘transport reimbursement'”)
โ Patient’s personal info (“For ‘follow-up care'”)
โ Vehicle plate number (to prevent “fraud” in this totally legal operation)
- Security hands driver what looks like a parking voucherโbut is actually a kickback invoice requiring:
- The Waiting Game
- “Payment processing” takes until the 25th of next month
- Follow-up requires WhatsApp nagging (“Hello sir, my susuk for vomiting Russian tourist?”)
- Bonus feature:ย No patient survival guaranteeย required for payout.
Quote from the Ground:
“Ya, Rp125.000 per pasien. Transfer tiap tanggal 25. Tapi harus isi form duluโkalau nggak diingatkan, ya hilang,” (Yes, Rp125k per patient. Transferred every 25th. But you must fill form firstโif you forget, money disappears.) admits Driver M, a veteran in Baliโs patient-referral game.
Why This Isnโt Just “Business as Usual”
- Itโs Literally Illegal: Under Indonesian law, kickbacks for patient referrals violateย Medical Practice Ethics (Permenkes No. 36/2009)ย andย Anti-Bribery Laws.
- Tourists = ATMs: A vomiting backpacker is worth more as a commission than a human in need. Priorities!
- Organized Crime Vibes: With WhatsApp follow-ups and “friendly security reminders,” this isnโt some back-alley dealโitโs a systemic scam.
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“Not Just Tour Drivers: How Ride-Hailing Apps Became Baliโs Newest Patient Brokers”
If you thought Baliโsย “susuk medis”ย racket was limited to shady tour van operators, think again. The islandโsย kickback economyย has gone digitalโwithย Ojek Online driversย now moonlighting asย commission-based medical recruiters.
The Ojek Online Pipeline: “Your Ride Ends at the ER”
- Hospital security doesnโt discriminate: Whether you arrive via private driver or app-based transport, theย “susuk”ย paperwork is ready.
- No commission cuts: One driver confirmed ride-hailing drivers receive the sameย Rp125,000 per headโproving hospitals valueย human referralsย more than fair wages.
- Organized collusion?: Whispers ofย “special partnerships”ย between hospitals and driver communities suggest this isnโt just opportunisticโitโsย by design.
Quote from a Gojek Driver:
“When I dropped off a puking tourist at the ER, security asked: โOnline or private driver?โ I said Gojek. They still handed me the kickback form.”
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When “Medical Referrals” Become a Gig Economy Side Hustle – Bali Medical Kickbacks
This isnโt just unethicalโitโs a legal dumpster fire:
- Patients become profit: A driverโs financial incentive toย bypass closer hospitalsย forย “partner”ย facilities.
- No medical oversight: The person deciding where you get treated hasย zero medical trainingโjust a vested interest in yourย hospital bill size.
- A violation of trust: Ride-hailing apps becomeย unwitting accomplicesย in a scheme that prioritizesย kickbacks over care.
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When Money Decides Your Ambulance Route – Bali Medical Kickbacks
“Susuk Medis” Isnโt Just UnethicalโItโs Illegal
Baliโs medical kickback scheme violates at least three major Indonesian laws:
๐ Health Law No. 36/2009
- Patients have the right toย honest, transparent careโnot treatment based on who gets a cut.
- Medical decisions must beย need-based, not revenue-optimized.
- Patients are entitled toย protection from exploitative practicesโlike hidden referral fees.
โ๏ธ Hospital Law No. 44/2009
- Hospitalsย cannot profitย from undisclosed financial arrangements.
- Conflict of interestย (e.g., paying drivers for patients) is strictly prohibited.
The Dirty Math of “Susuk”
- Rp125,000 per patientย =ย ~10% of an average ER visit fee
- Source of funds?ย Likelyย bundled into patient billsย as hidden costs.
- Outcome?ย A system whereย your sickness is someone elseโs sales quota.
Why This Matters
- Tourists unknowingly pay for kickbacksย via inflated medical bills.
- Drivers become unlicensed triage agents, steering patients based on profit.
- Hospitals commit fraudย while pretending itโs aย “referral program.”
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When Kickbacks Steer Ambulances: How Baliโs Healthcare Became a Pay-to-Play Game
Imagine this: Youโre vomiting fromย Bali Belly, bleeding from a scooter crash, or collapsing from heatstroke. But the person deciding where you get treated isnโt a doctorโitโsย a Ojek driver with a financial stake in your pain.
Welcome to “susuk medis”, where emergency medicine runs on referral commissions, and your survival instinct is someone elseโs side hustle.
Conflict of Interest? More Like Conflict of Survival – Bali Medical Kickbacks
When drivers choose hospitals based on kickbacks, not competence, the fallout is catastrophic:
- Tourists with fracturesย get hauled past competent clinics to far-flung hospitalsย paying Rp125k per head.
- Dehydrated patientsย lose golden hours in traffic because theย “right”ย ER pays better.
- Every medical decisionย becomes a question:ย “Is this careโฆ or commerce?”
Real Cases We Uncovered:
- Aย Bali Bellyย victim was drivenย 1 hour through Denpasar trafficย (past 3 clinics) to a hospital with aย “verified susuk program.”
- A bleeding tourist in Ubud was takenย 40km awayย from a nearby clinic because the driverย “had a deal”ย with a Kuta hospital.
“Itโs not our job to judge hospitals,” admits a driver. “Our job is to get the commission.”
The Domino Effect: Why This Isnโt Just a โLittle Corruptionโ – Bali Medical Kickbacks
1. Trust in Baliโs Healthcare Implodes
- Tourists start viewingย all medical careย as aย “scam.”
- Health platforms likeย TravelSafeย flag Bali asย “high-risk for exploitative treatment.”
2. Legal Time Bomb
- If a patient dies en route to a faraway hospital, whoโs liable?
- The driver (“Just following orders”)?
- The hospital (“We neverย officiallyย promised kickbacks”)?
- The government (“We didnโt knowโฆ until now”)?
3. Medical Ethics Thrown in the Trash
- Doctors becomeย unwitting pawnsย in a profit chain.
- Nurses treat patients who wereย bought, not triaged.
The Ugly Truth: This Isnโt a โVictimless Crimeโ
| What They Claim | The Reality |
| “Itโs just a referral program!” | A kickback scheme hiding behind paperwork. |
| “Drivers help tourists find care!” | Drivers helpย themselvesย to Rp125k per tourist / patient. |
| “No one gets hurt!” | Patients pay inflated bills for unnecessary detours. |
Worst-Case Scenario: A critical patient dies because a driver skipped the nearest ER for a commission-paying hospital. Suddenly, “susuk medis” isnโt just unethicalโitโs manslaughter.
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How to Fix This Before Baliโs Health System Becomes a Meme
- Hospitals: Publicly ban kickbacks andย audit referral programs.
- Platforms (Gojek/Grab): Suspend drivers caughtย selling patients.
- Tourists: Askย “Why this hospital?”ย and demandย nearest ER care.
- Government: Raid hospitals requestingย driver bank detailsย post-drop-off.
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Final Word Bali Medical Kickbacks: Your Pain Shouldnโt Be a Paycheck
Baliโs healthcare is at a crossroads: Will it healโor keep monetizing misery? If susuk medis isnโt crushed now, weโre one viral “Death by Kickback” headline away from becoming the worldโs medical tourism punchline.
Hey Baliโs Call to Action:
- Tourists: Film suspicious driver-hospital handoffs.
- Locals: Reportย “susuk”ย offers to @KemenkesRI.
- Everyone: Share this article. Shame this scam out of existence.
๐จ EDITORโS NOTE: This investigation is based on months of undercover workโverified driver testimonies, smoking-gun WhatsApp receipts, and forensic tracking of those suspicious “25th of the month” transfersโall deliberately anonymized to protect sources while exposing Baliโs dirty “medical kickback” system. Weโre not here to vilify ethical hospitals, but to sound the alarm before this rot spreads: because when ER decisions get auctioned to the highest bidder, we all lose. – HEY BALI (Drop the mic, keep the receipts).
A WARNING TO THE INDUSTRY
To the hospitals running susuk medis: We know who you are.
To the hospitals staying clean: Call this out before it infects your reputation too.
Silence is complicity.
โ Giostanovlatto HEY BALI
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Meet the Author
Giostanovlatto is a self-proclaimed “professional wanderluster” who believes that life is too short to stay in one place. When heโs not busy chasing sunsets or hunting for the best local food, you can find him striking up conversations with strangers (who often become friends by the end of the trip).
