More health funds needed for Aceh

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Health is seeking Rp 70 billion in additional funds from the central government to finance medical programs in troubled Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam province.

The programs are part of the ongoing integrated operation in Aceh launched in May this year.

"We have spent the entire budget, and we need additional funds," Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi was quoted as saying by Antara. Sujudi did not mention how much had been spent by his ministry in Aceh, nor the source of the fund.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla previously said that the government had allocated Rp 200 billion for humanitarian projects in Aceh.

The additional funds, Sujudi said, were badly needed for the payment of medical practitioners, the purchase of drugs and the construction of new health facilities in the war-torn province. -- Antara