REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) made an impromptu visit to the Dr M. Djamil Hospital in Padang, West Sumatra, on Tuesday to inspect the health services being offered to the patients.

"I made an impromptu visit to this hospital to evaluate the health services offered to the patients, especially with regard to the use of the Healthy Indonesia Cards and the implementation of the Social Security Administrative Bodies (BPJS)," President Jokowi remarked.

During the visit, the president said he had found that 97 percent of the patients at the Dr M. Djamil hospital were BPJS users, but the hospital had raised the payment issue.

The head of state made the surprise visit to the hospital after opening a multilateral naval exercise known as "Komodo 2016," which will be held in West Sumatra on April 12-16.

There is a dire need to offer humanitarian assistance, and military operations other than those during war time are important, the president stated in his opening address at the event.

He noted that military operations apart from those during war time will yield optimal results if they are not carried out individually.

"To hold the event, we need the participation of our allies stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean," he remarked.

Another event to be held on the sidelines of the exercise is the scenario of a humanitarian mission exercise, which is a form of military naval exercise.

Naval Chief of Staff Admiral Ade Supandi stated that the Komodo 2016 exercise reflected the readiness of navies of the participating countries to perform their duties, enhance cooperation, maintain peace, and extend humanitarian assistance.

"In addition, the event will strengthen naval diplomacy," he affirmed.

According to Supandi, the event will also forge relations between the people of West Sumatra and the delegates of participating countries.

"The event comprises not only activities aboard ships but also social activities in which the delegates will interact with the public," he revealed.

The event called Komodo 2016 comprises the International Fleet Review 2016, Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo 2016, and the Western Pacific Naval Symposium attended by 35 countries.

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