Indonesian rehab facility rebuilding bodies for 50 years

Tom Abke

For the past 50 years, Indonesian military personnel who became disabled on duty have had a dedicated place to rebuild their bodies before they returned to work.

The Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Center, known by its Indonesian acronym, Pusrehab, was established in 1968 in Jakarta. It serves military and Ministry of Defense personnel, and it will celebrate 50 years of operation in July 2018, said Pusrehab’s commander, Brig. Gen. Dr. Achmad Dewanto.

“Our motto is to help our patients leave our facility independent and productive,” Dewanto said. “We strive to help them in becoming independent, no matter their disability, and then productive by furnishing them with new skills.”

While the most common disability affecting patients is amputated limbs, Dewanto emphasized that his center addresses a spectrum of disabilities and offers three categories of rehabilitation: medical, vocational and social, which includes psychological counseling.

Pusrehab treats about 400 patients each year, he said, focusing on those most in need, as well as younger people with many years to go before retirement. Dewanto acknowledged that hundreds more are left untreated due to budget limitations and the personnel required to fulfil the center’s three-category methodology.

“First, we perform an early assessment on each of them,” he said, “wherein we gauge the level of disability. Then we provide them with suitable vocational rehabilitation depending on their interests or talents. So, we want to make sure that when they get out from rehab, they have new skills based on their own interests and talents.”

The center has produced many success stories, he said, including former patients who have opened new businesses based on the rehabilitation they received. “If we are talking about numbers,” he said, “maybe we have fully and successfully rehabilitated 50 percent of them. But in terms of our own personal success, I think we have achieved 100 percent. So, it’s difficult to outline the level of success of our service.”

At the end of March 2018, Pusrehab reported that its Integrated Rehabilitation Activity program produced graduates majoring in such professions as computer engineering, photography, tailoring, graphic design, electronics, keyboard music, auto mechanics, refrigeration engineering, integrated agriculture, catering and carpentry.

The guiding principles behind Pusrehab comply with an Indonesian law that protects people with disabilities. Dewanto explained that most people with disabilities come to the center under the guidance of their supervisors or institutions, but others come on their own accord.

The core rehabilitation is performed at a facility in South Jakarta. Expansion over the past five years has extended outreach and distance learning services to other cities across the island nation such as Kalimantan, Palembang and Medan. Medical treatment is largely performed at the nearby Dr. Suyoto Hospital and other hospitals in Jakarta.

Physical rehabilitation includes activities such as swimming and aerobics.

“We will celebrate 50 years of operation this July 6,” Dewanto said. “We have served approximately 9,000 people so far. We continue to keep their data and monitor them throughout their lives.”

Tom Abke is a FORUM contributor reporting from Singapore.