Catastropic Patients In West Papua Consistently Treat To Makassar, The Minister Of Health Advises The Regional Government Hospital To Open Services

Hospital illustration. (Between-Galih)

PAPUA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin suggested that the West Papua Government improve the quality of its hospitals (RS) so that health services can be optimal, especially local government-owned hospitals.

This was conveyed by the Director of the Regional General Hospital (RSUD) of West Papua Province, Dr. Arnoldus Tiniap. He admitted that the Minister of Health had given him a message some time ago. "During the audience some time ago, the Minister suggested that we improve the quality of the hospital," said Arnoldus in Manokwari, Tuesday, February 21, as reported by Antara. The Minister of Health, he said, provided budget support for additional medical devices (alkes) for all government-owned hospitals in both provinces and districts or cities in West Papua.

Meanwhile, the availability of medical personnel such as general practitioners, specialist doctors, midwives, and nurses is the responsibility of each regional government (Pemda). "The Ministry of Health provides medical equipment support, it's just a matter of which local governments prepare their human resources," he said.

Furthermore, Arnoldus said the Minister of Health also encouraged West Papua to add four services for patients with catastrophics of cancer, heart, stroke and kidney at the government-owned referral hospital. That's because so far patients in West Papua tend to seek treatment in Makassar or Jakarta.

The addition of four services will make it easier for the community, as well as suppress financing in accessing catastrophic disease services. In 2023 the West Papua Hospital will receive support from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) through the Special Allocation Fund (DAK) for shopping for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment to detect cancer and mamography. "This year we have prepared human resources for the four services, so that next year we will open their services," he continued. Currently, he continued, the number of heart specialists in Manokwari is only one person, but it must be equipped with the ability to install heart rings into narrowing blood vessels. For three other specialist doctors, local governments are trying to bring in from outside the region with work contract methods while waiting for some general practitioners to complete their specialist education.

"The readiness of human resources is a requirement for the four services to be opened," he explained.

According to the Minister of Health, Arnoldus, the addition of the number of vertical hospitals according to the request of the Manokwari Regency Government (Pemkab) has not become a priority. This is based on the number of residents, hospitals, and health facilities in West Papua after the expansion of a new autonomous area of the Southwest Papua Province. "He concluded that it is not yet time to add hospitals because what is needed is to improve existing hospital infrastructure," said Arnoldus., said Hermus.

He explained that the district government had handed over four operational vehicles and five 2-dimensional ultrasound medical devices for five health centers, namely the Sanggeng Health Center, Sidey Health Center, Prafi Health Center, Masni Health Center, and Warmare Health Center.