Aussie medical aid for Maluku hospitals
JAKARTA (JP): The Australian government, which has pledged A$4.5 million in emergency medical aid to Indonesia's district hospitals and clinics, delivered on Thursday a medical aid shipment to Ambon, Maluku.
The package, containing essential medicines and other necessities, will supplement stocks at Maluku's seven type C and D district hospitals and will be used in the treatment of public patients, the Australian Embassy said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post.
Rani Noerhadhie, a representative of the official Australian Aid Agency (AusAID) in Jakarta, presented the aid to the vice governor of Maluku, Brig. Gen. Paula Renya'an, at the provincial health office in Ambon on Thursday during an official ceremony to commemorate the National Health Day.
The aid is part of Indonesia's A$60 million crisis aid package to Indonesia.
"Besides Maluku, Australia is concentrating its help in four provinces -- West and East Nusa Tenggara and Southeast and South Sulawesi," Noerhadhie said.
"Australia is aware of the complexity of problems caused by the current crisis and realizes that this is a burden on hospitals and clinics because they are dealing with more patients and higher costs."
The aid will go to a total of 53 hospitals and a second shipment later in the year will be directed to 780 public health centers in the same five provinces.
Each box of supplies contains essential medicines, including the commonly used Amoxicyllin and Paracetamol and items for surgical use such as infusion sets, disposable syringes and sterile surgical gloves, and other necessities, and will supplement stocks at public hospitals.
Australia has worked closely with Indonesian health administrators, hospitals and state-owned pharmaceutical companies -- PT Kimia Farma and PT Indo Farma -- to stock and distribute the packages.
The medicines, labeled as Australian aid, are formulated to conform to Indonesian standards and have been made in Jakarta by PT Kimia Farma and PT Indo Farma.
Australia and the Ministry of Health will closely monitor distribution and use of the medical supplies in the targeted provinces and districts. (hhr)