Prabowo to Inaugurate 21 Upgraded Public Hospitals Next Month
President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to inaugurate 21 regional public hospitals or RSUD that have been “upgraded” in terms of quality next May. The government is elevating the type of these 21 hospitals from type D and type D Pratama to type C.
Head of the Government Communication Agency or Bakom, Muhammad Qodari, explained that the quality improvement of these dozens of regional hospitals is part of the government’s quick win programme or Programme for Quick Best Results (PHTC) in the health sector. These 21 hospitals will subsequently provide basic specialist services as well as greater service capacity.
“Twenty-one hospitals are ready to be inaugurated by the President, planned for May 2026,” said Qodari, quoted from a written statement on Thursday, 30 April 2026.
He assured that all these regional hospitals will be equipped with seven basic specialist doctors covering paediatrics, surgery, anaesthesia, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology (obgyn), radiology, and clinical pathology. In addition, the government plans to complete facilities in operating rooms, outpatient services, inpatient wards, radiology, and pharmacy.
According to Qodari, these 21 hospitals are part of a total of 66 RSUD targeted for upgrading during the 2025 to 2027 period. The breakdown includes 22 regional hospitals in 2025, 20 in 2026, and 24 units in 2027.
Qodari stated that this quality improvement is focused on hospitals in underdeveloped, border, and island areas (DTPK). With this programme, he hopes that residents in those regions can more easily access specialist outpatient services.
Residents no longer need to be referred to big cities to receive treatment for complex cases. “This means that people in those areas no longer need to travel far just to get specialist services,” said Qodari.
On the other hand, Qodari claimed that this RSUD quality improvement programme not only expands access to health services but also provides economic impacts.
For example, from the employment side, said Qodari, the upgrading of 66 RSUD is estimated to absorb 20,000 to 33,000 workers. That figure is based on an average need of 300 to 500 health and non-health personnel per hospital.
In addition, patients from DTPK areas can access quality health services closer to their homes. Thus, patients no longer need to incur large transportation costs for referral to hospitals in the city.
“Transportation costs for patients from DTPK who must be referred to large hospitals in the city can reach Rp 2 to Rp 10 million per visit, not including accommodation costs and lost income during inability to work,” said Qodari. “With the availability of quality RSUD near their homes, this burden can be significantly reduced.”