Yogya to host health symposium

YOGYAKARTA: Hundreds of medical professionals will attend a two- day symposium on cardiovascular disease to be held in Yogyakarta on June 10 and June 11.

The symposium is being organized by Dr. Sardjito Hospital, Gadjah Mada University's School of Medicine and the Yogyakarta branch of the Association of Cardiovascular Specialists.

The symposium will present experts and specialists from the country's leading universities, including the University of Indonesia in Jakarta and Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

According to cardiovascular specialist Dr. Budi Yuli Setianto of Dr. Sardjito Hospital, the 1st Yogyakarta Cardiology Update 2005, as the symposium is called, is aimed at improving the participants' knowledge to help them better deal with cardiovascular cases.

"The reason we see it as important to hold this symposium is the fact that cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in the world, including in developing countries like Indonesia," Budi said here on Wednesday.

According to Budi, the latest data showed that cardiovascular disease was responsible for nearly 25 percent of all deaths in Indonesia in 1998. -- JP