Indonesia bolsters military health care infrastructure with 26 new hospitals
Gusty Da Costa
Indonesia’s health care landscape expanded dramatically in February 2024 with the inauguration of 26 military hospitals to serve armed forces personnel and their families as well as local communities. The facilities also will serve as centers of medical education, and research and development, according to the country’s Defense Ministry, known as Kemhan.
Showcased by the 28-floor, 1,000-bed National Defense Center Hospital, or Panglima Besar Soedirman (RSPPN), the new hospitals were launched in response to needs identified during the COVID-19 pandemic and recurring natural disasters. In addition to advanced diagnostic and treatment technology, the facilities are equipped to deal with military medical matters such as threats posed by chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, as well as combat-related trauma.
“The pandemic has revealed the importance of an equitable and resilient health infrastructure across the country, including in the military,” a Kemhan spokesman told FORUM. “RSPPN and 25 TNI [Indonesian Armed Forces] hospitals are not only places for patient care, but also centers for research, training and human resource development in military health. The existence of these facilities is a pillar that supports national defense preparedness and resilience, given the potential health threats that can affect security stability.
“More than just a physical project, it is a long-term investment to safeguard health sovereignty and national security,” the spokesman said.
The hospitals are in residential areas near military bases nationwide to also provide advanced care to civilian communities. “Military hospitals such as Yudistira, which is located in Cimahi where I live, is a hospital that performs for civilians and military and has become a symbol of this city,” Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations lecturer at Indonesia’s Padjadjaran University, told FORUM.
The archipelago nation’s location along the Ring of Fire, an area of shifting tectonic plates, means that earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are a persistent menace, as are tropical storms and floods. Natural disasters kill hundreds of people and displace tens of thousands of Indonesians each year. The new hospitals will be integral to natural disaster preparedness and function as emergency health care facilities for disaster response, according to Kemhan.
Among other measures, the government partnered with the medical industry and civilian health care providers and implemented a performance monitoring and evaluation system to launch the hospitals.
“By taking these steps, the RSPPN and other military hospitals can ensure that they are equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and have qualified health personnel, so as to provide the best health services to TNI personnel, civil servants, families and communities,” the spokesman said.
The RSPPN will also serve as a teaching hospital for medical faculty at Indonesia’s Defense University and collaborate with domestic and foreign universities, Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said at the mid-February launch ceremony.
That corresponds with an emphasis on health-related education at Defense University, including new faculties of military medicine and military pharmacy, Dave Laksono, a member of Indonesia’s House of Representatives Commission 1, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, told FORUM.
Gusty Da Costa is a FORUM contributor reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia.
