Marines Explain Medical Procedures for Kopdes Manager Candidates Falling Ill During Military Training

The Marine Corps (Korps Marinir) of the Indonesian Navy has explained the medical handling procedures should any participant in the basic military training (latsarmil) for prospective managers of the Koperasi Desa (Kopdes)/Kelurahan Merah Putih (KDMP) programme experience health problems during the education course. Commander of the SPPI KDMP and KNMP Training Battalion at the 1st Marine Infantry Brigade Cilandak, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Agus Mutaqin, stated that participants experiencing health complaints must first report their condition to their platoon commander. “They report to the lower level, in this case the Danton (Platoon Commander). Then the Danton reports to the Danki (Company Commander), and the Danki reports to the Danyonlat (Training Battalion Commander),” Agus said when met at the Cilandak Marine Headquarters, South Jakarta, on Thursday. While the reporting process is underway, the sick participant will immediately receive medical treatment from the health facilities available within the base compound. “However, if our Health Platoon (Tonkes) or doctor is unable to handle it, the nearest hospital, namely the Cilandak Marine Hospital, has been prepared to immediately provide treatment, inpatient care, and so on,” he said. In addition to preparing a medical handling mechanism, the Marine Corps is also implementing preventive measures to minimise the risk of health problems during training. Participants with a history of chronic illness or specific health conditions are not included in strenuous physical activities. “Those with a history of chronic or serious illness are separated up to the platoon and company level, so that we do not include them in field activities related to physical exertion,” Agus said. According to him, data on the participants’ health conditions is obtained from the results of health checks conducted before joining the latsarmil. Participants with a history of certain illnesses are then directed to participate more in classroom learning activities according to their health conditions. Agus said that to date, the entire series of latsarmil is still running safely and conducively. He hopes the education process can proceed well so that participants gain knowledge, discipline, and national insight that can be applied when managing the Koperasi Desa/Kelurahan Merah Putih. A total of 674 participants in the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) programme are undergoing one and a half months of latsarmil at the Pasmar I Headquarters in Cilandak, Jakarta. The participants are divided into four companies, with each company consisting of six platoons.