Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the process of organ transplantation in Indonesia has become easier thanks to the Health Law passed by the House of Representatives.

"With this regulation, there is an opportunity to carry out organ transplantation in Indonesia," he said in a statement here on Sunday.

He revealed that many Indonesians are sick and have to get organ transplants, but the service could not be done in the country.

Therefore, the Health Ministry has appointed 17 government hospitals to carry out organ transplantation service for kidneys, cornea, and others.

"The law (related to health) has been fixed, so that the process of organ transplantation has become easier," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is collaborating with various parties, including religious organizations, to conduct public education about organ transplantation.

According to Sumadi, collaboration with religious organizations is important so that the understanding of organ donation gets support from the pubic.

Currently, drugs needed for organ transplantation are not complete in Indonesia. Therefore, the ministry has asked the Cipto Mangunkusumo National Hospital (RSCM) to support the drug provision.

"We have determined 17 hospitals that can conduct organ transplantation, starting from taking the organs and replacing the organs," Sumadi said.

Meanwhile, former Speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for the 2017-2019 period, Oesman Sapta Odang, who was a kidney transplant patient, said that he had planned on doing a transplantation broad.

However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to undergo the process at RSCM, and obtained a kidney donor from one of his family members. The operation was carried out successfully.

Odang said that Indonesia has many internal organ specialists whose are not not inferior to specialists abroad.

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Translator: Sugiharto P, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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