W

hile purchasing 3.6 hectares of land in the Sumber Waras Hospital compound in Grogol, West Jakarta, in 2014, former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama dreamt of establishing a luxurious public cancer treatment facility that could serve 2,000 Jakarta patients by 2017.

The planned hospital was to have a music hall, a reading room, a theater, a swimming pool, a sauna, a gym and 500 apartments in a bid to provide palliative care or specialized medical care to improve the quality of life of patients.

Ahok’s dreams have been derailed as he failed to secure his reelection earlier this year and was jailed after being convicted of blasphemy.

As of this month, there is no sign of construction starting on the land that the city bought for Rp 755 billion (US$56.76 million) from the Sumber Waras Health Foundation.

Instead of a deluxe hospital, the purchased land seems neglected, occupied by eerie, empty buildings and knee-high dry grass.

“The buildings have been empty since late December 2016,” Sumber Waras director Abraham Tedjanegara said on Thursday.

The buildings, from which paint has started to peeling, were previously used by the hospital management as a polyclinic, an intensive care unit, an intensive coronary care unit, a pharmacy and a nursing academy.

Construction of the hospital was postponed when the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) released a report in 2015 that claimed that the price of the land had been inflated, costing the state an extra Rp 191 billion.

In June 2016, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) cleared the way for the city project, saying the procurement had not violated any laws.

City Secretary Saefullah said the administration would continue the project by forming a special team comprising the Health Agency, the Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda) and the Environment Agency to conduct a feasibility study on the project.

Saefullah said that the hospital development was necessary because of the high number of patients who suffered from cancer, heart, lung and brain diseases, which would be treated at the planned hospital.

Jakarta Health Agency secretary Een Haryani said that the agency had started the study.

“We’re reviewing why we need to build this hospital. We’re gathering and studying the data of patients and the needed facilities, the results of which will later be presented to the team,” Een said.

According to the health agency’s data, the new hospital may ease the burden of the Dharmais Cancer Hospital and the Harapan Kita Heart Hospital, two Jakarta hospitals treating people with heart problems and cancer.

Patients in Dharmais Hospital can wait for up to one month to undergo radiotherapy, and three months to have surgery or just to get a check-up.

In Harapan Kita Hospital, adult patients can wait for up to nine months before undergoing surgery, while child patients can wait up to 1.5 years.

Saefullah said that the hospital and its facilities, which would be worth Rp 5 trillion, would be constructed without using city money, but through cooperation between the government and interested business entities.

“We’re worried that this project would burden the city’s budget as the administration should complete the development of mass rapid transit and light rail transit systems,” he said.

Bappeda head Tuty Kusumawati said that state- and city-owned enterprises and private parties could jointly fund the construction.

However, she could not confirm when the tenders would be called, as the team might need about six months just to complete the project’s business plan.

Cancer Information and Support Center (CISC), spokeswoman Esterina Sutiono said that she hoped the administration could construct the Sumber Waras Hospital soon.

“The lack of health facilities in Dharmais Hospital means patients should wait for months before getting treatment, which could make their conditions worse,” she said.