President Joko Jokowi Inaugurates MoH Hospital in Surabaya

President Joko Widodo after the inauguration, Surabaya, East Java province, Friday (09/06). (Photo by: BPMI/Hires)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Friday (06/09) inaugurated Ministry of Health (MoH) Hospital of Surabaya in East Java province.

“The highest cause of death in our country is stroke, followed by heart attacks and cancer. East Java province is ranked third after Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces,” President Jokowi said during the inauguration.

The Head of State also expressed concern for Indonesian citizens who still seek treatment abroad, saying that the country loses Rp180 trillion each year because of this phenomenon.

“We hope our citizens will no longer seek treatment in Singapore or Malaysia since nowadays our people still fly to countries like Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, or the US for treatment,” he said, adding that proper facilities in hospitals at home will help patients recover quickly.

The Government, the President continued, is ready to spend a large budget as long as health services for the people continue to improve. “We must improve our health services. That’s the most important thing,” President Jokowi remarked.

For the record, the development of the hospital requires a budget of Rp1.6 trillion, including the purchase of medical equipment of Rp386 billion. (ECH/ABD) (GWH/EP)