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)