Health ministry inaugurates disaster relief center

Health ministry inaugurates disaster relief center

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Ministry of Health inaugurated a national emergency center
on Monday, which will provide medical assistance for victims of
disasters and serve as a training center for emergency health
officers.

"An immediate response to disasters needs a control center
with well-trained human resources," Minister of Health Achmad
Suyudi said in his opening speech during the inauguration
ceremony, which was held in conjunction with National Health Day
on Monday.

The center, called the Disaster Relief Brigade (BSB)
headquarters, was established in February, but could not operate
adequately due to lack of facilities.

Suyudi said the BSB is now equipped with sophisticated
communications facilities and experienced doctors, and will
hopefully meet the public's demand in dealing with acute and
chronic disasters.

He said that since Indonesia does not have emergency
physicians, the headquarters can serve as a training center
to educate doctors and paramedics as specialists on emergency
relief.

Located in the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central
Jakarta, the BSB has 150 officers comprising doctors, paramedics,
and social workers who are ready to be dispatched to disaster
areas.

The BSB headquarters is equipped with a 24-hour communication
facility to monitor certain areas prone to natural disasters and
social upheavals such as communal riots. It also has a helicopter
and a helipad to ensure immediate mobility of the staff.

Ahmad Djojosugito, head of the BSB, hopes that the BSB will
not overlap with the tasks of local emergency relief workers.

"Principally, regional relief teams will be the first to take
action. But if they cannot handle it, we will help them," Achmad
said.

Aryono D. Pusponegoro, the headquarters' coordinator, said the
BSB will establish several branches in the North Sumatra capital
of Medan, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Surabaya in East Java.

He said the BSB headquarters will conduct training courses for
at least 21 doctors using international standard emergency
skills.

Under a three-year contract agreement, the doctors will be
trained on how to handle several emergency cases, such as trauma
(ATLS) and cardiac problems (ALS) as well as management of major
incidents (MIMMS).

Aryono said the training is needed because Indonesia does not
have emergency physicians. "They will become the first generation
of emergency physicians in Indonesia," he added.