East Kalimantan unveils modern cardiac centre to strengthen healthcare services
The Provincial Government of East Kalimantan has officially opened a modern cardiac service centre aimed at strengthening healthcare provision for the community. The Awang Faroek Integrated Heart Tower at the dr. Kanujoso Djatiwibowo Regional Hospital (RSKD) in Balikpapan was inaugurated by East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud on Wednesday (24/6).
‘The construction of the building was motivated by the high number of cardiovascular disease cases in East Kalimantan,’ said Acting Director of RSKD Balikpapan, drg. Ahmad Jais, in a written statement in Jakarta on Thursday. He noted that over the past three years, the hospital has handled 2,238 heart disease cases with a procedure success rate reaching 99 percent. Additionally, RSKD has performed 40 open-heart surgeries, or Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), with a success rate of 95 percent.
According to Ahmad Jais, the Awang Faroek Integrated Heart Tower is equipped with various modern facilities, including the first Cath Lab B-Plan in Kalimantan, which will strengthen diagnostic services and cardiac intervention procedures. He stated that a superior hospital requires not only grand buildings and sophisticated equipment but also good governance, competent human resources, and friendly, professional service. ‘That is our endeavour to safeguard the heart health of the people of East Kalimantan,’ he said.
The Awang Faroek Integrated Heart Tower features modern facilities such as a catheterisation laboratory (cath lab), a Modular Operating Theater (MOT) standard operating room, and Smart RSKD technology that enables real-time patient monitoring from ambulances, the emergency department, ICCU, to inpatient wards. With these facilities, various medical procedures such as ring insertion, coronary angiography, temporary pacemaker installation, and open-heart surgery can now be performed in Balikpapan.
Governor Rudy Mas’ud expressed his appreciation to all RSKD staff and the parties involved in establishing the integrated cardiac service facility. He stressed that improvements in healthcare quality must go hand in hand with strengthening human resources, particularly health workers. ‘We are not only building facilities but also building the quality of human resources,’ he said. He added that no matter how advanced the equipment or how fine the building, if the service is not welcoming, the benefits will not be maximised. ‘The smile and sincerity of health workers are the most potent medicine,’ he said. He also called on all elements of society to maintain unity in developing East Kalimantan while improving public health quality. The presence of the Awang Faroek Tower is expected to become a tangible legacy that continues to benefit the community while carrying forward the late Awang Faroek’s spirit of dedication in enhancing healthcare services in East Kalimantan.