In Banten, some 60 travellers were rescued by emergency motorbike ambulances
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Health Ministry has called on all regional health offices to keep service motorbikes ready to serve as ambulances to respond to emergencies during the Eid al-Fitr exodus period.

"(Prepare) not only ambulance cars but also motorbikes. (Health office) staffs can use service motorbikes that have been equipped with sirens (as ambulances)," the ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, stated after sending off the 2023 Eid al-Fitr Travel Monitoring Team at the ministry office here, Monday.

Rondonuwu noted that the central government has made medical logistics and equipment, such as medicine storage boxes, available for health offices, which they can install on the emergency motorbike ambulances.

"The motorbike ambulances will be essential because, in recent years, many travellers suffered from dehydration while being stuck in traffic congestion on toll roads," Rondonuwu pointed out.

During his earlier monitoring of the Eid exodus preparations in Banten, the director general had been informed that the local health offices had rescued at least 60 travellers suffering from health issues while being trapped in traffic jams.

"In Banten, some 60 travellers were rescued by emergency motorbike ambulances," he stressed.

Meanwhile, Rondonuwu said that the police are also ready to lend their motorbikes to regional health offices that do not have any service motorbikes.

"We can cooperate with the police (to borrow the vehicle), and on the sides of the motorbikes, we can install medicine storage boxes. Motorbikes are essential at health posts to ensure faster mobility," he remarked.

Earlier, the Transportation Ministry estimated that at least 123.8 million residents would return to their hometowns during this year's Eid exodus, an increase from 85 million in 2022.

Of the total projected travelers this year, 99.22 million are expected to travel by land, including 27.32 million residents by private car and 22.77 million by bus.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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