UMI medical team treats Cibal residents under tents after health centre collapses
The UMI Medical Volunteer Team from Universitas Muslim Indonesia (UMI) Makassar is treating residents of Cibal District, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), under tents after an earthquake struck and damaged the Puskesmas building.
UMI Makassar Vice Rector II Prof Dr Zakir Sabara said in Makassar on Monday that since the UMI Medical Team was dispatched to the earthquake-affected location in NTT, the medical team decided to choose mountainous and remote locations because aid services in those areas remain very limited.
“Our medical team deliberately chose a location where aid is still limited, which is why Cibal District in Manggarai Regency was selected. The latest information is that health services are still being provided under tents because the Wae Codi Puskesmas collapsed during the earthquake,” he said.
The Wae Codi Puskesmas building in Cibal District, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, collapsed on 15 August 2026 due to severe damage, but health services for the community must not stop.
Although the physical building has collapsed, residents’ need for medical access remains, so local health workers together with the UMI Makassar Medical Volunteer Team have shifted services to an emergency tent.
“This proves that health services can continue to operate even without adequate building facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to the Head of Wae Codi Puskesmas, Heribertus Jeli Jefri, the collapse of the health centre caused no casualties because at the time of the incident there were no inpatients and the duty officer was outside the building.
However, the loss of the service building has raised new concerns about health access for mountain communities far from the town centre.
“The UMI Medical Volunteer Team had to travel four hours through severely damaged and potholed mountain roads to reach the location. We are grateful that thanks to their assistance, health services are still running,” he said.
This humanitarian mission is the result of coordination between UMI, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and the Manggarai Regency Health Office, with volunteers distributed to strengthen services at the Wae Codi and Wae Kajong health centres as tangible support for local health workers who continue to serve on the front line.
The presence of the medical team from Makassar underscores the principle that universities are present to strengthen, not replace, the role of local health workers.