Russia decides to give hospital to Indonesia
Russia decides to give hospital to Indonesia
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Russia will donate its mobile hospital in Aceh to Indonesia, the
country that suffered the most in the Dec. 26 tsunami disaster,
to help relieve the suffering of victims, Russian Ambassador to
Indonesia Mikhail M. Bely said on Friday.
"The Russian government has decided to give the hospital as a
gift to Indonesia after the departure of our doctors back to
Russia," Ambassador Bely said during a press conference in
Jakarta.
The hospital, located in Mata'ie, Aceh, has its own diesel-
powered generators, a water purifying system, freezing chambers,
19 off-road motor vehicles, a mobile field laboratory, a mobile
X-ray room and even a bakery. The hospital can operate equally
well in an equatorial climate and at a temperature of 30 degrees
below zero.
The hospital, which is currently operated by 150 doctors and
medical staff, is capable of treating up to 400 people every day,
said the Ambassador.
"At the moment, the hospital has been treating between 300 and
400 patients a day. It has already vaccinated more than 1,060,"
Bely said at the press conference, which was also attended by
Maj. Vladislav Shafalinav, the deputy commander of the Russian
military mission in Aceh.
Asked when the Russian team would leave Aceh, Bely said that
this had not been decided yet.
"The situation on the ground is already improving, but we
haven't set a date for our departure. We will stay as long as our
assistance and help is needed," he said.
The Russian government has sent hundreds of tons of aid,
including food, water desalination equipment, tents, folding
beds, and medicine, to Medan where it was handed over to the
Indonesian authorities for distribution in Aceh and North Sumatra
provinces.
Moscow has also donated 20,000 tons of wheat to the Indonesian
government.
"We are now discussing with the Indonesian government where
would be the right place to deliver it as it is quite doubtful
that Banda Aceh has facilities for unloading such a large
quantity of wheat," he said.
The wheat, after grinding into flour, will be used to make
noodles or bread to feed to Acehnese people, he said.
Russia has pledged $22 million in humanitarian aid to the
devastated areas in Aceh and North Sumatra.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also plans to donate $10 million
to UN relief organizations to support the global relief during
the six months of 2005.
"I swear, neither the former Soviet Union nor Russia has ever
participated on such a massive scale in an international relief
operation before," the ambassador added.
A group of nine Russian seismologists are in Aceh to collect
scientific data on the tsunami. Their research will contribute to
the work of the natural disaster early warning system to be
established under the auspices of UNESCO, said the ambassador.