REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) offered his condolences to Reanny Mamahit, the husband of the late Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, who passed away on Wednesday at 11:41 a.m. local time.

"Two minutes after Endang passed away, the head of state called Dr Ranny to express his condolences," said Julian Aldrin Pasha, a spokesman of the President, here on Wednesday. "Endang`s husband told the President on the phone about her condition during the last few minutes of her life," he added.

Julian said the head of state would wait for further information from Endang`s family before paying his last respects at the house of mourning in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta. In response to a press question, he said the President had not mentioned about a replacement for the Health Minister yet. Endang, 57, died of lung cancer. 

President Yudhoyono is also scheduled to lead her funeral ceremony at the San Diego Hills cemetery, Karawang, West Java, on Thursday morning. "The inspector of the funeral procession at San Diego Hills will be President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Agung Laksono had said earlier.

Endang`s body will be kept at the house of mourning at Pendidikan Street, Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, and will later be taken to the health ministry building on Wednesday evening. Agung will be acting as the inspector in a ceremony to see off Endang`s body from the ministry building to San Diego cemetery.

"So there will two ceremonies - one at the health ministry where the inspector of ceremony will be the coordinating minister for people`s welfare, and the second one is at San Diego Hills which will be led by the head of state," he said. 

Appointed as the health minister in 2009, Endang resigned on April 26, 2012, on health grounds, to undergo lung cancer treatment. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer in October 2010 and was hospitalized at RSCM for the past three weeks. The 57-year-old minister had undergone a variety of medical treatments, including radiotherapy and cryosurgery, at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) over the past three weeks.

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