"Besides the risk of accident, travelers also face the risks of food poisoning..."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Health has planned to set up 1,468 health-care posts, with at least 65,000 paramedics, for home-bound travelers during Id-ul-Fitr, according to a minister.
Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said in the statement on Thursday that her ministry`s efforts to provide health-care posts were aimed at protecting travelers from sickness, incapacitation, death and other accident-related risks during the journey.
"Besides the risk of accident, travelers also face the risks of food poisoning, diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and communicable diseases, among other things," she added.
The health minister also ordered all health-care centers located along the routes that Id-ul-Fitr travelers will use throughout the country "to remain operational 24 hours".
The ministry distributed 200 packages of medicines to the health-care posts situated both along the national highways, as well as at ports of departures and arrivals.
It also set up an information service center, through the Rapid Response and Health Post (PTRC), which could be directly accessed through a CCTV monitor of the Police`s National Traffic Management Center (NTMC).
Millions of people across the country will journey home during the post-fasting month festivities, locally called Lebaran, in mid-August.
They will use buses, trains, ships, planes and motorbikes, although driving motorcycles during the holiday rush is considered risky.
According to 2011 data from the National Police Traffic Management Center, during the Id-ul-Fitr rush, there were a total of 2,770 accidents, in which 449 people died, 760 got injured, and 1,914 others sustained minor injuries.
During the same period in 2010, however, there were 3,418 accidents involving motorcycles.***3***
(A014/INE/H-YH)
(T.A014/A/KR-BSR/B/H-YH) 09-08-2012 21:17:05
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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