Head of the Public Relations Bureau of the Defense Ministry Brigadier General Edwin Adrian Sumantha stated on Tuesday that the activity began on August 11.
The TNI health workers comprised specialist doctors, general practitioners, midwives, and nurses.
"The orientation activities include reviewing the facilities of the El Arish floating hospital and checking several patients undergoing treatment and rehabilitation at the floating hospital," Sumantha revealed.
The Indonesian Government gradually sent a total of 40 TNI health workers to the floating hospital in El Arish, Egypt, and to the field hospital in Rafah, Gaza. The two hospitals are currently managed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The first group of health workers consisted of 25 soldiers arriving at El Arish on August 10, led by Colonel Dr. Adry Pasmawi, who was stationed at RSPAD Gatot Subroto, Jakarta.
If the guarantee of safety for Indonesian health workers is granted, 15 of the 25 people are planned to be deployed to a field hospital in Rafah, Gaza.
Sumantha remarked that once they successfully enter Rafah, the Indonesian Government, coordinated by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the TNI Headquarters, will continue to send the second batch consisting of 15 TNI health workers to El Arish.
Later, the TNI health workers on duty in Rafah will be rotated a maximum of once a month with those on duty in El Arish, Egypt, he stated.
El Arish in Sinai, Egypt, is one of the collection points of humanitarian assistance from various countries for the Palestinian people who are victims of the Israeli military aggression in Gaza. The distance between El Arish and Rafah — an area in Gaza that directly borders Sinai, Egypt, is more than 40 kilometers.
The floating hospital in El Arish, Egypt, has been operating since February 2024 and has so far treated more than 3,700 refugees from Gaza.
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Translator: Genta Tenri M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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