F

ormer president B.J. Habibie on Friday opened the Raden Ayu (RA) Habibie Special Kidney Clinic at Budi Kemuliaan Hospital in Batam. R.A. Habibie is Habibie's late mother and former kidney specialist, whose name has been dedicated to the kidney clinic.

"My mother came from a family of doctors who are concerned with kidney issues. When she passed away her younger sister continued the cause. The first R.A. Habibie clinic is in Bandung, West Java, while this is the second," said Habibie, who is also a former head of the Batam Industrial Development Authority (BIDA).

Habibie's visit drew a warm welcome from attending officials. Among those attending the ceremony were Riau Islands Governor Ismeth Abdullah, BIDA head Mustofa Wijaya and Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan.

Habibie, accompanied by wife Hasri Ainun Habibie and eldest son Ilham Habibie, was greeted enthusiastically by attendees, doctors and officials in Batam.

The clinic is one of four facilities in Riau Islands equipped with dialysis machines. The R.A. Habibie clinic treats low-income patients for free.

According to Habibie, the population of Batam has surged sharply compared to when he was instructed by former president Soeharto to develop the area. Since the early 1970s, the population of Batam exploded from around 6,000, most of whom lived along coastal areas, to about 900,000 people according to data at the Batam municipality.

"I am sure that, including the number of people who have not been listed, *the population* has reached over 1 million," said Habibie.

Budi Kemuliaan Hospital managing director Sri Sudarsono said the clinic provides an invaluable service to the public.

"We have never received assistance from the government, we run the whole affair ourselves," said Sri, Habibie's younger sister.