Sat, 24 Jun 1995

Jakartans' life expectancy rises to 69.6 years

JAKARTA (JP): The life expectancy for residents of Jakarta has reached 69.6 years, the longest in the whole of Indonesia, but the number of cases of cancer and mental illness is rising, Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said yesterday.

At the national level, life expectancy figures vary between 63 and 65 years.

Surjadi said that the development of health infrastructure and programs also has succeeded in bringing down the infant mortality rate, which currently stands at 33 per 1,000 live births.

But the changing lifestyles and the high level of pollution, particularly in urban areas like Jakarta, has caused non- infectious diseases to become as common as infectious diseases.

The frequency of non-infectious diseases like hypertension, strokes, cancer and mental disorders is on the rise.

"We should be very wary of these diseases, especially cancer," the governor said while dedicating a cancer hospital and laboratory in Sunter, North Jakarta. Also on hand for the ceremony was the chairperson of the Indonesian Cancer Foundation Karlina Umar Wirahadikusumah.

Surjadi noted that currently 100 out of every 100,000 people in Jakarta have cancer. This means that an estimated 9,000 of Jakarta's nine million people have the killer disease, he added.

He warned city residents to have their health checked regularly in order to detect cancer at early stages.

"The earlier stadium of the cancer, the more possibility of a cure," he said.

The governor also called on the private sector to play a bigger role in the prevention of cancer because the government's funding for the health sector is small.

Facilities

The hospital facilities dedicated yesterday were built and are managed by the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Cancer Foundation.

The new cancer hospital and laboratory were built on a 2,983- hectare plot of land.

Chairperson of the Jakarta branch of the cancer foundation, Sri Sumarsih, said that the facilities are meant to help people of the low income bracket obtain medical treatment.

The hospital, which also provides information on cancer to the public, boasts modern technology for diagnosing and treating internal diseases.

Official figures indicate that Jakarta's economy has grown by 8.3 percent in the past year, more than the expected 7.5 percent. In the same period, the residents' per capita income has risen 14 percent to reach Rp 4 million (US$1,750). (32/pan)