Djailani opens psychiatric institute

Djailani opens psychiatric institute

JAKARTA (JP): Deputy Governor for Social Welfare Affairs
Djailani officially inaugurated on Monday the Bina Laras Harapan
Santosa 04 mental institute for psychiatric patients in Cipayung,
East Jakarta.

"The number of people with psychiatric problems is relatively
large when compared to the number of institutions handling the
problem," Djailani said.

"The city's annual budget is not yet sufficient to finance all
social welfare problems," he admitted.

Djailani expressed his gratitude to the non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), donors, and business people for their
active participation in helping the city administration help
needy residents.

"With such help, the city administration is still able to help
poor residents by providing basic commodities, equipment for
study and other social help," he said.

The 2,684-square-meter mental institute was built by PT Bakrie
Swasakti Utama (BSU), a subsidiary of the Bakrie Group of
companies, as part of an obligation to build social facilities
when it developed the city administration's land in Menteng Atas,
South Jakarta.

Head of the city's social affairs agency Eddy Widodo said the
company had spent Rp 5.7 billion (US$847,000) in constructing the
building, which includes facilities for teaching carpentry,
welding, sewing and bricklaying on a one-hectare plot.

"The city administration itself spent Rp 487 million on office
stationary and furniture," Eddy added.

The new institution can accommodate 200 inhabitants -- 100
males and 100 females -- suffering from minor psychiatric
illnesses, he said.

"It is the fourth institution of its kind operated by the city
administration," Eddy said.

"The others are Panti Laras 1 in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, for
severe psychiatric illness, while Panti Laras 2 in Cipayung, East
Jakarta, and Panti Laras 3 on Jl. Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, are
for medium psychiatric illness," he added.

Eddy said the city's four mental institutes were capable of
caring for 700 patients, but there recently has been 200 more
patients than could be cared for.

"The problem is most of the patients will spend the rest of
their lives in the institutes, while the number of new patients
keeps on increasing," he said.

He also said PT BSU had built a 120-square-meter mosque worth
Rp 100 million and donated 100 packages of basic commodities to
less fortunate residents in the neighborhood. (05)