The Ministry Of Health Ensures Access To Affordable Health Services For All Disaster-affected Areas

JAKARTA - The government continues to accelerate the recovery of health services after disasters hit a number of areas in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. In a media meeting held at the Adhyatma Building on Friday, December 5, 2025, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia dr. Benjamin Paulus Octavianus and the Ministry of Health explained the current conditions and steps that have been taken in the field.

The Deputy Minister of Health explained that direct monitoring of the affected areas had started since Tuesday, December 3 at the direction of the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin. This step is a continuation of the work of the Health Crisis Center which has been deployed since the beginning of the disaster, to ensure that health care continues in the midst of an emergency.

Based on the report as of December 4, 2025, the impact of the disaster was recorded regarding 31 hospitals and 156 health centers in the three provinces. The Aceh region is the area with the widest impact, namely 13 hospitals and 122 health centers affected. Meanwhile, in North Sumatra there were 18 hospitals and 25 health centers, as well as in West Sumatra nine health centers that experienced service disruptions.

The good news is that some health facilities have started to provide services again. In Aceh, operations have been running in three hospitals and 55 health centers. North Sumatra shows progress faster with 15 hospitals and all 25 health centers are returning to service the community. As for West Sumatra, all health facilities are functioning normally.

However, there are still a number of facilities that are not yet operating. In Aceh, there are 10 hospitals and 65 health centers that are still paralyzed, while in North Sumatra there are still three hospitals that have not been able to provide services. Several facilities even suffered serious damage, six hospitals in Aceh and four hospitals in North Sumatra, namely Tanjung Pura Hospital, Pertamina Pangkalan Hospital, Mata Hospital, North Sumatra Province, and Sundari General Hospital. In contrast to the other two provinces, West Sumatra did not record any hospitals with severe damage.

Special attention was paid to Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, which was considered to have the most severe impact. Floods that lasted up to nine days submerged the first floor of hospitals in the area and caused damage to almost all medical equipment.

"We are grateful that there are private hospitals in the highlands and are not affected, so patients can be transferred to Putri Bidadari Hospital," said dr. Benny, quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Health on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

Meanwhile, Director of Surveillance and Health Quarantine Sumarjaya said that currently all affected areas can be reached by health services. Access is carried out through various routes, starting from the sea for logistics delivery and health personnel, air to reach previously isolated areas, to land routes that slowly re-open as floods recede.

He gave an example of conditions in Aceh Tamiang which had been cut off from access to health services. After reports from residents, the Ministry of Health team immediately moved in the morning with medical personnel and two logistics vehicles.

"Since yesterday, previously untouched areas have now been served, both by air and by new open routes," he explained.

Recovery efforts continue to be carried out in an integrated manner through intensive coordination with the local health office. The distribution of medicines, emergency services, to cleaning health facilities is the main focus.

This process is reinforced by the involvement of various parties, ranging from RSUD personnel, regional health workers, volunteers, to assistance teams from East Java and RSCM. They are tasked with reopening service access, carrying out mobile health services, as well as cleaning facilities affected by mud and flooding.

In general, the recovery process in the three provinces shows different conditions. In Aceh, most facilities are affected by mud and physical damage so that relative cleaning can be carried out more quickly and services begin to run gradually.

Unlike the Langkat and Medan areas, where flooding is still high so that facilities cannot be cleaned and services cannot yet begin. Meanwhile, West Sumatra recorded the fastest recovery because puddles immediately receded and health infrastructure did not experience significant damage.