Parents' Struggle and IMMICare: Lightning Passport to Save Child

Amid public spotlight on alleged illegal levies within the Batam Immigration Office, the IMMICare service innovation has garnered widespread appreciation from the community. This proactive service from the Class I Special Immigration Office for TPI Batam is regarded as a swift solution in emergency situations, even playing a crucial role in saving lives. The appreciation was expressed by the family of a toddler emergency patient who needed immediate referral to Malaysia for intensive medical treatment. They stated that they were greatly assisted by the speed of the IMMICare service, which allowed passport processing to be completed in just hours. “If there was no IMMICare, we wouldn’t know what would have happened to our child. The process was very fast, so we could immediately depart for Malaysia for treatment,” said Lina, the parent of the toddler, while attending the Halal Bihalal event at KPJ Johor Hospital in Aston Batam on Friday (3/4). It is known that the IMMICare service was provided to the family on 4 March 2026 at Awal Bros Hospital in Batam. At that time, the emergency condition required the patient to be sent abroad immediately, while travel documents were not yet available. With a quick response from immigration officers, the passport was successfully issued in a short time. The toddler was then able to be sent off promptly and received the necessary medical treatment. The patient’s family also expressed appreciation to the Head of the Batam Immigration Office, Hajar Aswad, for the service breakthrough deemed humane and responsive to community needs. Contacted separately on Sunday (5/4), Hajar Aswad emphasised that IMMICare is a form of commitment from Batam Immigration to provide premium services, especially for the public in urgent conditions. “We present IMMICare to ensure that the public who need emergency immigration services are still served quickly and accurately. Not only in hospitals, this service also reaches patients being treated at home,” he said on Sunday (5/4). He explained that IMMICare not only accelerates passport issuance but also provides accompaniment until the departure process abroad. “We also facilitate patients and families when departing abroad through special lanes without queuing. In this process, we coordinate with the Health Quarantine Agency for transport permit issuance,” he added. According to him, this service is designed as an integrated humane service, so the public is not burdened with convoluted procedures amid emergency conditions. IMMICare itself is an innovation in proactive, pick-up-the-ball services aimed at the public with limitations, such as sick patients, the elderly, and other emergency conditions. Amid various emerging issues, the presence of this service proves that efforts to enhance public service quality within the Batam Immigration environment continue to be carried out and directly felt by the community.