TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has opened its first state-run neurological hospital — seven years after a comprehensive government health report showed stroke was the leading cause of death among Indonesians, as reported by Antara News.
The National Neurological Hospital, a 12,000 square-meter medical center which includes facilities to treat brain injury and neurobehavioral disorders, such as stroke and dementia, was unveiled by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a ceremony in South Jakarta on Monday.
“I am very optimistic that the National Neurological Hospital will become a world-class hospital,” Yudhoyono said after the opening.
The hospital’s facilities include centers to treat spinal cord and brain injury, memory loss and an HIV unit.
Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the government decided to build the hospital after reviewing the findings of the 2007 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) report, conducted by the Ministry of Health.
The Riskesdas report, a comprehensive survey conducted in 33 provinces that covered all major indicators of health, found that stroke was the cause of 15.4 percent of all deaths and disabilities among Indonesians — the country’s most deadly medical condition.
The survey also showed there were a number of Indonesians suffering from neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia, as well as metabolic diseases.
“This neurological hospital is very important to anticipate the increasing rate of life expectancy in Indonesia,” Julian said.
Yudhoyono also encouraged the private sector to build hospitals, saying the health sector was a “good prospect” as more Indonesians wished for better services.
Excellent health services in Indonesia would help prevent Indonesians seeking medical treatment abroad, he said.
“Our purchasing power is getting better and that makes people want to have a better service quality, that’s why many people sought treatment abroad.”
ANTARA | PRIYAMBODO RH
