5 subdistricts demand health centers

JAKARTA: Residents of five subdistricts in South Jakarta -- Bintaro, Srengseng Sawah, Tanjung Barat, Ciganjur and North Petukangan -- urged the mayor to build public health centers for them.

The residents first made the demand five years ago, but still no action has been taken.

"The mayor is discriminating against us. We have a right to affordable health services at a public health center. We can't afford to go to the hospital," said Imas, a resident of Bintaro on Friday.

"We have integrated health services in community units and neighborhood units, but they can't provide optimum health service," she said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Nining, a resident of Tanjung Barat subdistrict, said she had to spend extra money on an ojek (motorcycle taxi) because the nearest public health center was located in another subdistrict.

Mayor Dadang Kafrawi called on the mayoralty's health office to work with the development planning office to find plots of land in the five subdistricts suitable for public health centers. -- JP