"Heart disease is most prevalent in the area, so is in eye diseases, but we chose a cardiac center because it is more life saving," Health Minister Endang Rahayu said after signing an MoU here Monday.
The MoU was signed by Health Ministry`s Secretary General Ratna Rosita and President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Ahmed Mohamed Ali in Jakarta Monday afternoon in the presence of the health minister.
The Indonesian Cardiac Center will be built on 1,500 square meters of floor space of the five floors of Al Shifa hospital in Northern Gaza, Palestine.
It will take eight years to build the center with a grant from the Indonesian government, including the medical equipment.
The medical facility is built under an Indonesian government`s commitment to provide humanitarian assistance for the people and government of Palestine as declared in the 2009 OKI meeting for the Reconstruction of Palestine in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt.
In the meantime the IDB became a partner in building the project.
IDB is committed to provide 8 million US dollars for the Indonesian Cardiac Center.
Upon completion of the project, the health minister will grant to the the Palestinian government, which will be followed by an exchange in science and health personnel.
"The Palestinian government will not block the access of Indonesian volunteers," the health minister said. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
