Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto is set to inaugurate 21 Regional Public Hospitals in May 2026 as part of the government's hospital upgrade quick-win program, Head of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom) Muhammad Qodari said.

In a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, he explained that the 21 Type C hospitals are part of the 32 hospitals the government is currently building in three batches across the country.

He noted that these 21 regional hospitals have been equipped with seven core medical specialists—including a pediatrician, surgeon, anesthesiologist, internist, obstetrician and gynecologist, radiologist, and clinical pathologist.

The move ensures that local residents no longer need to travel long distances for specialized care.

Qodari highlighted that the hospital quality improvement program reflects President Prabowo's commitment to providing quality healthcare across Indonesia, particularly in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions.

The program, he added, focuses on upgrading hospitals from Type D—the most basic hospital category in Indonesia—to high-quality Type C facilities by providing essential infrastructure.

This includes operating theaters, outpatient and inpatient wards, catheterization laboratories, hemodialysis units, radiology departments, pharmacies, and Central Sterile Supply Departments (CSSD).

"This is part of President Prabowo's vision to ensure every Indonesian citizen can get equal and high-quality health services," he remarked.

Qodari further said that between 2025 and 2027, the government aims to upgrade 66 regional hospitals from Type D to Type C.

For the 2025 target, 22 hospitals were selected; 17 of these have been completed, while the remaining five are over 90 percent finished.

Moving forward, 20 hospitals are targeted for 2026 and are currently under construction, while another 24 hospitals targeted for 2027 are in the preparation phase.

The Bakom head asserted that the hospital upgrade initiative offers socioeconomic impact, including reducing risks of fatalities due to delay in medical treatment in remote areas and creating jobs, as each hospital requires 300 to 500 workers, including medical personnel.

"This means that once these 66 Type C hospitals are completed and operational by 2027, the program has the potential to create between 20,000 and 33,000 direct jobs for the public," he said.

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