NTB Becomes the 19th Province with a Successful Heart Surgery Hospital

JAKARTA - The Regional General Hospital (RSUD) of West Nusa Tenggara Province (NTB) has successfully performed open-heart surgery for the first time.

"We have performed the first heart surgery in West Nusa Tenggara Province. The patient is currently in the ICU, it's over, the operation started at seven this morning", said the Head of the Cardiovascular Service Support Team, Hananto Andriantoro, in an online press conference, Friday, December 16.

He conveyed that it was appropriate for the NTB Hospital at the main level to be able to perform open heart surgery. The reason, he said, is that 1.5 percent of the total 5.2 million NTB residents in eight districts and two cities suffer from coronary heart disease.

Hananto said that the interventions carried out by the NTB Hospital had also approached 1,000 actions in one year.

“Preparations were carried out quite briefly. I appreciate the hospital team who prepared for less than a year, both for human resources, the operating room, and ICU. The patient was re-assessed a week ago and God willing, tomorrow we will have another operation", he said at the Antara news agency.

NTB Hospital Main Director, Lalu Herman, said the number of visits to NTB Hospitals related to heart reached 900-1,300 people per year.

Of that number, 500 patients required hospitalization, and 200 others were referred for treatment outside the area, such as the Harapan Kita National Heart Center Hospital, Jakarta.

Through the success of the first open heart surgery, Herman hopes that the NTB Hospital will become an independent hospital in treating heart disease patients and be able to provide cardiovascular services to other hospitals.

"This is the best present for the 64th anniversary of the province of NTB. Hopefully, in the future, the West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Hospital can be more advanced", he said.

The NTB Regional Hospital is the 19th province hospital capable of performing open heart surgery. This achievement is in line with the program of the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, which targets 34 provinces in Indonesia to be able to perform open-heart surgery by 2027.

Minister of Health Budi, who was also present via video connection, said that currently half of the 514 regencies/cities have been able to perform catheterization interventions and of course, it is hoped that this will continue to open-heart surgery.

"So, our people who have had a heart attack which is number 2 and the death rate after stroke but number 1 of the BPJS cost burden, can be handled", he said.

He also hopes that the NTB Hospital can continue to improve the quality of services in other fields, such as stroke, cancer, and also those related to the kidney.