REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Construction of the Indonesian hospital in Rakhine State, Myanmar, is 80 percent complete. Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) Presidium Sarbini Abdul Murad stated that to the journalists after meeting Vice President Jusuf Kalla in Jakarta on Thursday to report the progress in the hospital's construction.

"Hopefully, in the second month of 2019, (the construction) will be fully completed," Murad said.

The hospital symbolizes pluralism in Myanmar's conflict-prone area, as it is built with assistance from the Indonesian people, Council of Buddhist Communities (Walubi), Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), and MER-C.

"We are striving to give a picture to Myanmar that Indonesia, with its various tribes and religions, can unite. We are working to realize this (concept of pluralism) through a historical monument, the Indonesian hospital," Murad explained.

The hospital's construction is supposed to be completed by this year. However, considering its location in a remote and conflict-prone area, a delay cannot be avoided.

In addition to its unfavorable location, challenges faced during construction include difficulties in finding the required amount of material and local workers within the area. To this end, MER-C has deployed several technicians to teach the local people to construct the building.

The Indonesian hospital, been built since November 2017, will have 30 rooms. Apart from providing inpatient rooms, the hospital will have a radiology room and two surgical rooms.

Ahyahudin Sodri, chairperson of the Indonesia-Myanmar Hospital Medical Equipment Procurement Team, said he had also offered telemedicine equipment using the internet network, considering that the location has good internet connectivity despite being a rural area.

"We offer (telemedicine equipment) as this area is rural, energy is limited, and the number of doctors and nurses is limited. Hence, we will offer telemedicine technology, more precisely for teleradiology and then cardiology as well as ultrasound," Sodri noted.

Through telemedicine, the hospital's medical staff can easily consult nurses and specialists in urban areas, he stated, adding that the offer had received positive response from the Ministry of Health and Sports of Myanmar. After its completion, the hospital will be named the Indonesia-Myanmar Friendship Hospital. The hospital and its medical devices will be donated to be managed by the Myanmar authority.

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