Governor marks soft opening of Haj Hospital
Governor marks soft opening of Haj Hospital
JAKARTA (JP) Governor Surjadi Soedirdja marked the initiation
of operations at the Jakarta Haj Hospital in Pondok Gede, East
Jakarta, on Saturday.
The hospital, which is equipped with various modern
facilities, is scheduled to be officially inaugurated by
President Soeharto on Nov. 12, in conjunction with the
commemoration of National Health Day.
"The hospital constitutes part of the municipal
administration's commitment to providing Jakartans with better
health services," Surjadi said at the soft opening ceremony.
He said the hospital was built as a monument to commemorate
the deaths of 649 pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, in 1990.
The hospital is designed to improve health services to people
intending to perform the haj pilgrimage. It will also offer
services to the public.
The facility is one of the four hospitals built simultaneously
after the Mina tragedy. The other three are located at the haj
embarkation centers in Medan, North Sumatra; Ujungpandang, South
Sulawesi, and Surabaya, East Java.
The Jakarta Haj Hospital was built at a cost of Rp 23.3
billion (about US$11.09 million), of which Rp 1.3 million was in
the form of a subsidy from the central government. The remainder
was financed by the municipal budget and assistance from Bazis,
an Islamic alms collection body, Retty S. Soedibyo, director of
the hospital, said.
She said that the Saudi Arabian government, Garuda Indonesia
airlines and the Bimantara Foundation donated funds for the
construction of the hospital.
"The hospital, which is currently still in trial operation,
wants to improve its services in stages. We are providing
services free of charge between Oct. 26 and Nov. 11 through the
polyclinic," she said.
Third class
The polyclinic provides various treatments ranging from
general health care, family planning, dental care, midwifery and
neurology to surgery, she said.
Retty said the hospital is designed to have 200 beds, of which
100 are already available at present. Out of the existing 100
beds, 45 beds, or 45 percent of the total capacity, are
classified as "Third Class", which accommodates low-income
patients. This is far higher than the 25 percent required by
regulations.
Despite the large percentage of beds allocated for poor
patients, however, the hospital is expected to be
self-reliant under professional management.
M. Masyhur, the hospital's counselor, said treatment will
still be offered to the public during the pilgrimage season. The
hospital will provide services in cooperation with the Islamic
Hospital and the Haj Dormitory Clinic.
All patients, especially those intending to perform the haj
pilgrimage and those returning from the trip, can receive health
care at the hospital as soon as all the facilities are installed.
"The priority will be given to treatment prior to departure,
which deals mostly with stress-related illnesses, including high
blood pressure and diabetes, while returning pilgrims usually
suffer from influenza," he said.
He said he hopes that the hospital can help Moslems be more
physically able to perform the pilgrimage.
The six-story hospital, done in middle eastern architectural
style, was built in one year on a one-hectare plot of land. The
environmentally-conscious building is equipped with a modern
waste processing unit. (22)