Residents have warmly welcomed the city-wide inauguration of 15 type D hospitals, which can provide more advanced healthcare than when their status was community health centers (Puskesmas) at district level.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat on Thursday symbolically inaugurated the 15 upgraded facilities, which are located in Pesanggrahan, Tebet, Mampang Prapatan and Jagakarsa in South Jakarta; Cilincing, Pademangan and Koja in North Jakarta; Ciracas and Kramat Jati in East Jakarta; Kalideres and Kembangan in West Jakarta; and Sawah Besar, Johar Baru, Cempaka Putih and Kemayoran in Central Jakarta.

One Pesanggrahan resident, 32-year-old Rini Diah, said she was thankful to have a hospital in her neighborhood.

'€œI'€™m very grateful. It'€™s only a five-minute walk from my house, so if my children and I are sick, we can just walk to the hospital,'€ she said.

Rini, who is eight months pregnant, said that she had decided to give birth in the hospital after learning that it provided more complete facilities for obstetric care. She said she previously gave birth to her two older children with the help of a midwife in a Puskesmas that had fewer and simpler facilities. Midwives at Puskesmas cannot perform minor surgeries such as caesarean sections, so patients requiring one have to be referred to a hospital.

'€œI plan on giving birth in the hospital. It will be very convenient because it is very close to my house,'€ she said.

Another resident, Wahyu Hadi, who lives in Tebet, said that the type D hospitals would be useful for residents seeking treatment for serious illnesses. He said most hospitals in his area were private and pricey.

'€œ[Public hospitals] are very accessible and very affordable. I hope I don'€™t get sick and need to be treated at Tebet Hospital, though,'€ he said.

However, some residents need some time to adjust to the change.

Sarmina, 64, who had been receiving treatment for diabetes in what is now Pesanggrahan District Hospital for almost three years, said the change of status from Puskesmas to type D hospital had forced her to go to the farther Bintaro subdistrict Puskesmas to continue her treatment.

'€œI will see a different doctor and go to a different health facility. I am worried because my [regular] doctor already knows my condition and habits very well. Bintaro subdistrict Puskesmas is also very far from my house,'€ she complained.

Pesanggrahan District Hospital director Endah Kartika said that after the upgrade, the hospital now had five floors, four general practitioners, 40 beds for inpatient treatment and three specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, a pediatrician and interns. All inpatient treatment facilities are class II. Before being upgraded to a hospital, the Puskesmas had three floors, 20 beds and two specialists.

Separately, Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto said all type D hospitals could treat more serious illnesses that could not be handled by Puskesmas. Currently, Puskesmas can treat 155 ailments, including gastritis, influenza and bronchitis.

'€œType D hospitals can handle, for example, diarrhea with complications and minor operations such as for tumors and appendicitis,'€ he explained.

He went on that his agency would keep improving facilities in the existing type D hospitals and would continue to train doctors and nurses. The city, he said, would upgrade more district level Puskesmas in order to inaugurate more type D hospitals next year.

'€œWe plan to inaugurate 29 type D hospitals next year. In the meantime, we will keep improving and adding health facilities to the existing type D hospitals,'€ Koesmedi said.

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