"That (heart disease) is the disease that causes the highest number of deaths in Indonesia. The problem is that we lack medical facilities required for treating heart disease and stroke,"
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The governments of Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are working together to build a cardiac hospital in Surakarta, Central Java, with the aim of suppressing the number of deaths caused by heart diseases.

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Ambassador of the UAE to Indonesia Abdulla Salem Obaid Al Dhaheri participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for the cardiac hospital on Monday (November 27).

"That (heart disease) is the disease that causes the highest number of deaths in Indonesia. The problem is that we lack medical facilities required for treating heart disease and stroke," Minister Sadikin noted in a written statement received here on Tuesday.

Sadikin expressed belief that Indonesia would succeed in suppressing the number of deaths caused by heart disease by ensuring that patients receive treatments more quickly.

Giving necessary treatments in less than four hours would boost the chances of the patients surviving cardiac emergency situations to 90 percent, he noted.

However, he pointed out that inadequate facilities have been responsible for delaying the delivery of treatments, thereby leading to a spike in the risk of fatalities.

"Bearing that in mind, we can say that quick treatments are vital, and we need plenty of complete facilities," he stated.

He further noted that adequate medical facilities need to be supported by the availability of capable human resources.

"Hence, we need to produce even more doctors. Currently, we are striving to ensure the improvement of education for specialist doctors," he remarked.

Ambassador Al Dhaheri, on his part, stated that the cardiac hospital would become the first modern hospital in Indonesia that is equipped with advanced technologies and offers an innovative health care model.

"On this occasion, I would like to invite the people and private sector from both countries to explore the potential of joint investment projects in the health care sector for the sake of humanity," he stated.

The heart hospital, currently being developed, will be equipped with outpatient facilities that comprise 10 consultation rooms as well as four observation and monitoring rooms.

Meanwhile, the hospital's inpatient facilities will include presidential suite rooms, VIP rooms, general treatment rooms, and isolation rooms.

The hospital will also have an emergency department that offers nine bedrooms, a triage room, a resuscitation room, an observation room, an action room, and an isolation room.

Indonesia and the UAE are adopting the sustainable building concept in the development of the hospital, meaning that it will utilize solar panels as the main sources of energy and have rain water reservoirs.

The application of such a concept serves as proof of the two countries' commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

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Translator: Sean M, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Arie Novarina
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