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Pasar Minggu Hospital inaugurated amid dispute
Get ready: A staff member checks medical supplies at the newly opened Pasar Minggu Hospital in South Jakarta, on Saturday
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Get ready: A staff member checks medical supplies at the newly opened Pasar Minggu Hospital in South Jakarta, on Saturday.(JP/Don) (JP/Don)
Get ready: A staff member checks medical supplies at the newly opened Pasar Minggu Hospital in South Jakarta, on Saturday.(JP/Don)
Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama and Health Minister Nila Moloek launched on Saturday the new Pasar Minggu Hospital on Jl. TB Simatupang in South Jakarta.
The launch, however, was marked with protests by a group of people claiming to be the heirs of Enging Bin Leo, who insisted they held land rights and demanded the city administration pay compensation for the plot of land used for the hospital.
The group's lawyer, Maruarar Siahaan, said the land belonged to his clients, citing as evidence an Eigendom Verponding (proof of property ownership) document issued by the Dutch administration before independence. He claimed the city administration was illegally occupying the land.
'We have won the case at the High Court,' he said, adding that the group of heirs owned 68 hectares of land, of which the hospital has occupied 18.2 hectares.
South Jakarta Mayor Tri Kurniadi said the land was initially owned by the Agriculture Ministry but was granted to the city administration.
'They won at the High Court, but we are fighting for it in the Supreme Court,' he said, adding that the city had a certificate for the land.
Meanwhile, Ahok said the city had won the case at the Supreme Court, so the decision was legal and binding.
During the hospital's launch on Saturday, Ahok said he was happy with the event as the project was initiated by him and former governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo.
'This is an example of a well-built hospital,' he said.
Ahok said the hospital's equipment was purchased through the National Procurement Agency (LKPP), giving an opportunity for local products to compete with major brands. 'The beds in the IGD [emergency department], for example, were produced in Yogyakarta and Solo,' he said.
Ahok said his ambition was to make city hospitals among the best available and able to be major referral centers for patients. 'We can proudly say that Tarakan Hospital, for example, has a great cardiovascular team,' he said.
He added, therefore, that residents would not need to go to other countries like Singapore or to private hospitals for treatment.
During the event, the governor also inducted 43 personnel for the Ketuk Pintu Layani Dengan Hati (Knock on doors, serve with heart) program, mobile medical staff to focus on preventive and health promotion measures, 150 senior palliative care staff, 300 senior cancer awareness staff and 70 children's ambassadors for food safety.
Palliative care is an approach providing medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on offering patients relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress and mental stress of terminal conditions.
Health Agency head Kusmedi Priharto said the hospital, built in April 2014, was manned by 423 medical staff, including 19 specialists, 31 general practitioners and three dentists.
'The 12-story hospital has 468 beds,' he said, adding that the specialist areas of the hospital would be a children's polyclinic, growth and development, geriatrics and radiotherapy.
Regarding the mobile doctors, Kusmedi said the program aimed to increase healthy lifestyles in society. 'The governor's target is one doctor, one nurse and one midwife for 1,200 people. Currently we can only fulfill one doctor, one nurse and one midwife for 5,000 people,' he said.
Kusmedi said besides promoting healthy lifestyles, the program's teams were also tasked with recording the medical history of all families in their areas.
'With the program, it is easier to detect illnesses earlier, so the treatment can be simpler with a higher success rate,' he said. 'We have currently recorded 40 percent of Jakarta residents.'
Meanwhile, Kusmedi said the palliative care program was initiated as the number of patients with terminal conditions was increasing. 'We have trained 70 doctors to manage the program,' he said.
Minister Nila said she appreciated the city administration's efforts to provide palliative care. 'We have lots of cancer patients, so we need the center,' she said.
Nila also urged the city administration to improve its mobile doctor programs. 'The number of Indonesian residents who suffer from illnesses is much greater than the healthy ones. That's why the promotion and prevention program is important,' she said.
