Unfriendly Waves: Bawean Island Resident Charters Plane to Evacuate Mother

H Ridwan, a businessman from Sungaiteluk Village, Sangkapura District, Bawean Island, had to spend up to Rp110 million to charter a plane to evacuate his mother, who required further treatment at a hospital in Surabaya, East Java. The decision was made after medical oxygen stocks at Umar Mas’ud Regional General Hospital in Bawean ran low because logistics ships could not sail for several days due to high waves on the Gresik-Bawean route. Ridwan’s mother, Minasuha, had previously undergone intensive care for five days—two days in the Emergency Department and three days in the Intensive Care Unit at Umar Mas’ud Hospital. However, the patient’s condition still required oxygen support, prompting the family to act. The patient was flown from Harun Thohir Airport in Bawean to Juanda Airport in Surabaya using a fully chartered Susi Air plane without other passengers on Saturday (1/8). Ridwan said the decision to charter the plane was made after receiving information that the hospital’s oxygen supply was increasingly limited because distribution from Gresik was hampered by extreme weather. He estimated that without referral, his mother’s oxygen supply would only last until Sunday afternoon. The cost of chartering the plane alone reached Rp110 million, excluding other expenses. Ridwan also noted that the air evacuation process required fulfilling various medical requirements set by the airline. Despite the emergency and significant costs, he praised the professionalism of the health workers at Umar Mas’ud Hospital, stating that the main issue was the limited oxygen supply dependent on sea transport. He hopes the incident will prompt the government to increase medical oxygen buffer stocks on Bawean Island to anticipate future extreme weather disruptions. Responding to the situation, the Gresik District Health Office prepared an emergency shipment of 40 medical oxygen cylinders for the hospital. The Head of Health Services at the Gresik Health Office, drg Setyo Susilo, confirmed that the extreme weather had halted shipping activities and hampered logistics distribution to the island from 28 July to 4 August. He stated that the emergency oxygen supply was prepared as soon as stocks began to dwindle in early August, and an additional 80 cylinders are ready for dispatch once ships can sail from Sidayu Port. The Health Office is also coordinating with the Transportation Agency, harbourmaster, and the Indonesian Navy’s Second Fleet Command to prepare alternative distribution scenarios if bad weather persists.