Singapore sends medical team to Bali
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong completed his trip to Bali on Tuesday by visiting survivors of Saturday's bombings who are being treated at the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.
Lee said Singapore had sent a six-strong medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces (RAF) Medical Corps to help Indonesian counterparts provide treatment for those injured in the blasts. Dr. Tay Guan Sze leads the mission, which will last until Sunday.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono accompanied Lee during the hospital visit. Both had held talks on Monday on issues, including counter-terrorism cooperation between countries in the region.
Sanglah Hospital director Lanang Rudiartha said the Singaporean medical team would help hospital perform surgery on three victims, including two South Korean nationals, to remove metal shrapnel from their intestines. This kind of surgery had been conducted on 20 other injured victims, he said.
As of Tuesday, the hospital forensic team remained unable to identify six bodies.
"We will try to complete the identification process, no matter how long it takes. Our focus is the examination of teeth structure or if it fails we will conduct DNA tests," said Lanang, adding that Australian Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team was assisting the Indonesian forensics officials.
Lanang expressed his concern about the families of victims, many of whom had been staying at the hospital to stay close to their loved ones but had little money.
"They have been occupying the hospital's corridor," Lanang said.
Medical treatment for the blast victims has cost the hospital Rp 400 million (nearly US$40,000). The provincial administration has channeled Rp 336 million in assistance, while the Ministry of Health has pledged Rp 100 million in financial aid.
Compared to the previous bombings three years ago, Lanang said the hospital staff had demonstrated a quick response, thanks to workshops they had attended under the sponsorship of Australia's Ausaid. The agency has held the workshops twice since the 2002 bomb attacks.