"I just discussed the need for a heart and cancer hospital with the governor of Riau. The land is reserved by the Riau Provincial Government while construction of the building will be funded by the Central Government," he stated during his first working visit in 2023 here on Wednesday.
The president noted that the hospital could offer benefits to Riau's residents and reduce the number of residents seeking treatment abroad.
"We will soon prepare the medical devices in 2023. It means we want to reduce as many as possible (the number of) Riau residents, who seek treatment abroad," he remarked.
Earlier, member of Commission V of the Riau Regional People's Representatives Council (DPRD) Ade Hartati Rahmat encouraged the Arifin Achmad Regional Public Hospital (RSUD AA) to become a center for the treatment of heart disease and cancer in Riau Province and Sumatra area as well as become a teaching hospital.
In this case, her side held a working meeting with RSUD AA and urged the hospital's management to prepare a grand plan for infrastructure and medical equipment needs.
"Thus, RSUD AA, as the only government-owned referral hospital in Riau Province, must be fully supported to become a type A hospital, of course, with the readiness of excellent infrastructure and facilities," she remarked.
Currently, RSUD AA only has 518 beds, with an inpatient ratio of 142 thousand people per year. This condition is deemed still far from adequate.
"Automatically, the consequence of adding beds is the addition of medical devices and medical personnel. Thus, the services still need to be improved, among others, by proposing additional medical personnel," she stated.
Rahmat noted that the Riau provincial government had sent a letter to the central government for increasing the number of medical personnel and other facilities, such as intensive care units (ICUs), neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and operating rooms.
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Translator: Frislidia, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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