Lippo Group to Build Six Hospitals in 2012

Jakarta Globe, Ivan Dasa Saputra, November 23, 2011

A doctor and his assistant perform simulations at the Siloam
 Cancer Hospital MRCCC Semanggi, Jakarta. The Lippo Group
 is planning to build six more hospitals next year.
(JG Photo/Safir Makki)

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The Lippo Group is planning to build six international standard hospitals in five Indonesian regions next year.

“Every hospital should be built with international principles, using international standards, equipment and service,” James Riady, CEO of the Lippo Group, said on Wednesday.

James said that while it is not relevant to get international accreditation for all hospitals, the hospitals will be built with international standards.

“International accreditation needs a high budget that might have an impact on patients,” James said.

The six hospitals will be built in Makassar, Manado, Bali, Palembang and Jakarta with an investment of Rp 300 to Rp 500 billion ($33 million to $55 million) each.

As part of the Lippo Group’s mission to serve all sections of society, Siloam Hospital, owned by the Lippo Group, is increasing space for a third class ward.

“We will keep on building hospitals because we’re hoping to be the main player in the health industry,” James said.

The Jakarta Globe is affiliated with the Lippo Group.

ADB Provides $100 Million for Rural Infrastructure, Sanitation in Indonesia

ADB, 8 Aug 2011

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing Indonesia with a $100 million loan to finance community-driven projects that upgrade basic infrastructure in rural villages and improve sanitation services in poor urban neighborhoods.

The loan will expand ADB’s support for the National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM Mandiri) for poverty reduction by providing direct assistance to poor communities.

While Indonesia has made significant progress in fighting poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), about 31 million people, many of them in rural areas, remain trapped in poverty. The causes of poverty include lack of access to basic services, absence of economic opportunities, limited access to capital, and poor rural connectivity and infrastructure.

About half of rural villages are not connected by asphalt road, and one in every ten villages are inaccessible at certain times of the year. In addition, only about half of the national population has access to improved sanitation. Consequently, some 30% of Indonesians suffer from water-borne diseases, including diarrhea and typhoid fever, that are linked to the use of untreated water and poor sanitation.

“The project will provide block grants directly to the communities to improve basic infrastructure facilities and sanitation services, including the construction of public baths, toilets and washing facilities, as well as waste treatment and disposal systems,” said Wolfgang Kubitzki, ADB Principal Social Sector Economist.

“Around 1.3 million people in rural communities and urban neighborhoods in nine provinces in Indonesia will benefit from the project,” he added.

The project will also improve the capacity of the communities to carry out their own design and implementation of the projects to ensure that the investments reflect the need of the communities and are sustainable.

The ADB loan, from its ordinary capital resources, covers about 73% of the total project cost of $135.6 million, with the government financing around 19% and beneficiaries providing the balance in the form of counterpart contributions to community investments.

The Ministry of Public Works is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion around March 2015.

About ADB

2m poor elementary students to get scholarships

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Wed, 07/27/2011

The National Education Ministry says it has allocated Rp 762.2 billion (US$89.9 million) this year for BSM-SD scholarships for about 2.04 million poor elementary school students nationwide.

Students from first to fifth grade will be entitled to the scholarships, which are worth Rp 360,000 per student and will be disbursed between July and December.

Ministry director for elementary schools Ibrahim Bafadal said Tuesday in Jakarta the scholarships were meant to help poor parents purchase stationery, uniforms and other school-related items for their children.

School operating costs, meanwhile, are covered by the School Operational Aid (BOS) funding program, Ibrahim said.

The numbers of students to be granted scholarships in each municipality/regency has been set based on several indicators such as poverty levels and geographical conditions, he added.

“Each municipality and regency will then select schools that will receive BSM-SD scholarships. Then a team will be sent to ask for a list of the students that have been nominated to receive the scholarships at each school,” Ibrahim said as quoted by kompas.com.

Major firms launch initiative to fight malnutrition in kids

Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 06/14/2011

The Indonesian government welcomed on Monday a public private partnership (PPP) initiative to fight malnutrition in Indonesian children called Project Laser Beam (PLB), which is supported by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and several globally renowned enterprises.

The secretary of the Office of the Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister, Indroyono Soesilo, said the initiative was critical to help the country end child hunger and poverty, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara and Papua, two of the poorest provinces.

“The government of Indonesia is committed to lifting people out of poverty and giving every Indonesian child a healthy start in life. PLB will kick off very soon under the coordination of my office,” he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta.

He expressed his gratitude to Unilever, Kraft Foods, DSM and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) as well as to three local companies — PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera, GarudaFood and Indofood – for their participation in PLB.

“PLB is a creative new pillar in the fight to end child malnutrition, which we believe will be a major contributor to attain the Millennium Development Goals [MDGs],” said Indroyono who is also a candidate for the Food and Agriculture Organization’s director general for the 2012-2015 period.

PLB is a five-year, US$50 million project that aims to eradicate child malnutrition. The initial focuses of the initiative will be Indonesia and Bangladesh where child malnutrition rates are unacceptably high.

In Indonesia, more than 37 percent of under fives go to bed hungry, while in Bangladesh, the rate reaches 48 percent.

Pradeep Pant, Asia Pacific president director of Kraft Foods, said his company contributed around $10 million to the initiative. He elaborated that PLB would cover programs, such as teaching locals about sustainable farming, assisting them to create micro enterprises and providing nutrition education to mothers and children.

“In my opinion, this initiative is likely to succeed because it has three required pillars, which are sustainability, big scale and conducted repeatedly,” he said.

Unilever chief executive officer Paul Polman argued that participating in the initiative was very important for his company’s business. Ending child malnutrition and preparing children to be healthier and more prosperous in the future would be a way for the company to expand its market.

“Our business won’t work if the market doesn’t work,” he said.

The continued commitment of Unilever, Kraft Foods and several new local and international partners demonstrated confidence that the world was on the right track in fighting hunger in a new and innovative way, said the director for public policy, communications and private partnerships of WFP, Nancy Roman.

“When the government and businesses work together, we can do more than what we can do individually,” she said.

Australia increases development assistance to Indonesia

Antara News, Wed, May 11 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Australian Government will increase its development assistance to Indonesia from Rp923 billion in 2010-2011 to Rp5.15 trillion for the 2011-2012 period.

"The increase in aid funding demonstrates Australia`s long-term commitment to reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development in Indonesia,"Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty said in press release here Wednesday.

Ambassador Moriarty said that the Australian aid program will focus on alleviating poverty through social protection programs, supporting governance reforms, and improving poor people`s access to health, education, transportation, clean water and sanitation facilities.

Australia will support Indonesia achieve its goal of giving every Indonesian child good basic education.

The aid will improve education for more than 500,000 Indonesian children by building schools and improving the quality of their education, including for those with disabilities and children in poor and remote areas.

"Australia recognizes that sustainable and equitable economic growth in Indonesia can improve livelihoods, create job opportunities and raise household income. This is why we will increase our commitment to Indonesia by improving access to essential infrastructure services such as water, sanitation and transportation," he said.

Moriarty said that Australia has strong connections with the people and communities in Indonesia, and will continue providing assistance in the wake of emergencies and disasters, as well as help promote sustainable growth.

Today`s announcement reaffirms Australia`s ongoing commitment to scale up its development assistance program to 0.5 percent of the Gross National Income in 2015 and 2016.

The Australian Government remains committed to ensuring that every dollar spent on aid in Indonesia has the maximum impact on poverty eradication and economic development.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

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President suggests construction of millions cheapest houses

Antara News, Tue, February 22 2011

Bogor, W Java  (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has suggested the construction of million of very cheapest houses for the poorest and poor people in the country.

"We can build several million homes with the very cheapest prices within one year and will continue to do so," the president said in his closing address of government working meeting at Bogor Palace on Tuesday.

The head of state proposed that the prices of the cheapest houses would range from Rp5 million to Rp10 million per unit, because they were classified into temporary residence before the owners moved to a more permanent home.

President Yudhoyono`s suggestion would be a guideline which is to be discussed in the cabinet meetings.

According to the president, the funds for constructing the very cheapest houses could come from related state enterprises, corporate social responsibility funds, and those allocated from the government budget.

The construction of the most inexpensive houses is one of six new programs, proposed by the president.

The five other programs are related to cheapest transportation, cheapest clean water facility, cheapest electricity program, improvement of fishermen standard of living, and program to improve the lives of suburban community.

President Yudhoyono said the six new programs were the fourth group of pro-people programs.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Government to Fund Poor Students

Tempo Interactive, Wednesday, 08 December, 2010

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Djoko Santoso, director of Higher Education said the National Education Ministry will grant scholarships to students from low-income families. The Ministry has issued Government Regulation no. 66/2010 on Education Management and Organization, requiring state universities to allocate 20 percent of seats for students from the low-income group. The government, he said, will also fund their living costs and the tuition, Djoko said yesterday.

One of the universities already applying for this policy is the Tenth November Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya.

ITS Rector Priyo Suprobo said the cost of living will be borne by the campus, the foster parents, or sponsorship from various companies.

Meanwhile, the entire tuition will be borne by ITS.

Every month, ITS will disburse Rp500.000 per student. Meanwhile, the student will get at least Rp500.000 from the foster parent or a minimum of Rp750.000 from a sponsoring company. “Each student will get a cost of living assistance from a grantor,” Priyo said.

The cost of living, he said, varies from Rp150.000 to Rp2 million per month. The smallest amount is the Supersemar scholarship totaling Rp150.000 per month. ITS allows the grantee to receive other scholarships because Rp150.000 is not enough to cover their cost of living.

However, he said students who get a living cost from ITS, foster parent, or other scholarship whose amount is bigger than the Supersemar, will not be allowed to seek other forms of assistance.

According to Priyo, the scholarship will be annulled if the student’s score declines for two consecutive semesters. “Their score cannot be below 2,75,” he said.

Priyo did not mind the government’s policy requiring universities to allocate 20 percent of the seats for students from the low-income group.

CORNILA DESYANA

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Ministers’ wives launch village program

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 10:09 AM

First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and Cabinet ministers’ wives launched on Wednesday a program called Prosperous Village, which is aimed at empowering villagers with the help of university students.

The pilot project launched in Hargotirto village, Kulonprogo regency, is a joint undertaking between the Solidarity of Unity Cabinet Ministers’ Wives (SIKIB) and Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University (UGM).

“We hope the scheme can serve as an example for other villages in Indonesia,” UGM rector Sujarwadi said in a speech.

The project is a collboration between five major programs of SIKIB and the student-run UGM rural field work program.

Ani said the SIKIB had been developing five major programs aimed at improving health, creativity, education and social and environmental awareness among the less-privileged.

“The five programs are expected to help Indonesia meet its MDGs [Millienium Development Goals] targets. We try to do simple but concrete jobs,” she said, citing as example the SIKIB’s dispatching of a number of “smart cars” (mobile libraries) to several regions and the establishment of “smart houses” (small libraries) in others.

She said university students taking part in the implementation of the Prosperous Village scheme would also benefit from it because it would give them the opportunity to put what they learned at school into practice.

“And with their villages being developed, we hope the youths will stay there and support the development instead of leaving the villages to seek jobs in big cities,” Ani said.

Hargotirto, which is home to more 1,900 families, is located in rural Yogyakarta, about an hour drive from the provincial capital. Most of its population work as farmers arning on average US$2 a day.

The scheme has built the community center a “smart house”, which combines the functions of a library and an Internet cafe, and a small traffic education center where children can learn about road signs and rules.

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WHO assistance to create healthy, pleasant traditional markets

Antara News, Thursday, September 23, 2010 00:10 WIB

Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided 2,400 US dollars to support a program to improve the sanitary health infrastructure of the Argosari traditional market in Wonosari, Gunung Kidul district.

A Health Ministry official, Wilfred M Purba, said here Wednesday the financial assistance was given under a cooperation agreement between the ministry and WHO.

"The program has a non-physical aspect , namely to change the general public`s perception of traditional markets as disorderly, untidy, dirty establishments so that they would be able to compete with modern markets which were already beginning to operate in Gunung Kidul district." he said.

He said the physical assistance in the form of infrastructure was given based on the traditional market`s needs determined by market`s stakeholders and the Gunung Kidul district government.

According to Wilfred, the best way to create a healthy traditional market was changing the market stakeholders behavior, namely the behavior of the people selling their goods in the market, the market visitors, the market traders` association and the market management.

He said altering the stakeholders` behavior was important to change the traditional market`s image in addition to the provision of supporting facilities needed to keep the market healthy, clean, neat and pleasant to see.

"The direction of the traditional market can be used for buying and selling transactions and tourism market so that visitors besides buying what they need can also engage in recreation," he said.

He said the Argosari traditional market as one of tens of traditional markets in Indonesia which turned into model traditional markets.

A WHO Indonesia officer, Tri Prasetyo, said the aim of the programs was also to anticipate the spread of avian influenza.

"The interest of market users will possible decrease if directly talking about the anticipation of avian influenza so that we have delivered to the people about a healthy market as general," he said.

He said that the traditional market program had been implemented since July 2009 and it would end on 2011. "Now we are coming to the phase of training the market management." he said.

Indonesia to Pay Bills for All Citizens' Births

Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita | August 19, 2010

Jakarta. The government on Thursday announced a plan to provide free birth care to all, helping to prevent cases of mothers selling their babies to pay for the deliveries and hospitals holding the infants ransom until the medical bills are paid.

In the next year, the state will start a pilot program to pay for all births in community health centers (Puskesmas) and state hospitals nationwide.

Although the benefit is aimed at low-income mothers, even the wealthy qualify, so long as “they are willing to give birth to their babies in third-class wards in hospitals,” Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said.

But the scheme comes with a caveat, she said. After the project’s first year, free delivery benefits will be limited to a mother’s first two children.

“This is expected to boost our stagnant family planning program,” Endang said, adding that the country was at risk of a population explosion.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed on Monday that the latest census put the population at 237.6 million people, a 32.5 million increase in a decade.

The rapid rise showed that the nation’s family-planning program, remarkable for reining in a population boom during the three decades under President Suharto, was no longer effective, Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has said.

Health Ministry officials said the free delivery program was also expected to reduce the country’s extremely high maternal and infant mortality rates.

The latest maternal mortality figure for Indonesia is 228 deaths per 100,000 births, one of the highest in Southeast Asia, while 34 out of every 1,000 infants born die within their first year.

Budiharja, the Ministry of Health’s director general for community health and education, said the program should bring maternal deaths down to 102 per 100,000 births and reduce the infant mortality rate to 24 out of 1,000 births by 2015.

The progress would meet UN Millennium Development Goal targets.

“We hope that the number of births handled by the professional medical workers will increase to 100 percent,” Budiharja said.

A normal delivery at a Puskesmas or state hospital costs from Rp 300,000 to Rp 500,000 ($34 to $56).

However, recent cases of women selling their newborns in order to pay for their medical bills have highlighted the fact that many low-income mothers still can’t afford deliveries.

Others who can’t afford care opt to give birth at home, contributing to the high mortality rate.

Budiharja said the free care was intended for all birth procedures, including those requiring Caesarian sections or postpartum complication treatments.

The government is developing Puskesmas capable of providing basic obstetric, neonatal and emergency services, Budihara said.

“Out of 7,000 Puskesmas in Indonesia, more than 2,500 of them have been able to provide those three services, but only 1,600 of them provide the services 24 hours,” he said adding that all regional hospitals in Indonesia were expected to be able to provide more comprehensive care.

The 2011 draft state budget revealed on Monday included Rp 26.2 trillion, an almost 26 percent increase, in funding for the Ministry of Health.

Additional reporting from Antara

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New legal network for the underprivileged

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/06/2010 9:45 PM

More than 150 lawyers, activists and public investigators have formed the Public Interest Lawyer Network (PIL-Net) aimed at providing free services to marginalized people.

The new organization is backed by several human rights NGOs, such as Elsam, Huma and Sawit Watch.

“We are here to assist those who are currently in battle with the state or big business entities and feel that they receive no fair treatment,” PIL-Net board member Indriaswari Saptaningrum told a press conference Thursday.

PIL-Net secretary Wahyu Wagiman said that the network would focus more on providing free service in the regions, which often witnessed conflict between locals, state officials and big companies.

“We will immediately release the names of our public lawyers so that the people who need our services can contact us,” he said.

The joint secretariat will be temporarily housed at Elsam headquarters, in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta

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Emotional Scenes as Indonesian Court Rules in Favor of Elderly Woman

Soetarti Sukarno, right, has won her case — and evaded a jail sentence — after legal action launched by state pawnshop company PT Perum Pegadaian. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Justice for all

Grandma Minah, a villager living near Purwokerto, Central Java is embraced by actor Butet Kertaredjasa after receiving a cacao seedling from the anticorruption organization Kompak in Jakarta on Monday. The woman, who made newspaper headlines after a local court sentenced her to 45 days in jail for stealing three cacao pods from a plantation company, was named one of Kompak’s People of the Year. JP/Nurhayati

MDGs will only be partly achieved: VP

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 08/04/2010 9:21 AM

The UN-sponsored Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may fall short of expectations as developed countries are still struggling to recover from the 2009 financial crisis.

“Efforts to promote development have suffered in the wake of the crisis and commitments made by developed countries have been missed,” Indonesian Vice President Boediono told representatives of 30 Asian and Pacific countries, 20 observing countries and the UN, as well as international and regional organizations at a two-day special ministerial meeting for MDGs review in Asia and the Pacific, which began Tuesday.

For example, he said, developed countries managed to contribute only 0.31 percent of gross national product for official development assistance to developing countries — far below the target of 0.7 percent.

“The economic recovery has been uneven, with developed countries estimated to grow by 1 percent to 2 percent on average, while growth in most developing countries has returned to between 6 percent and 8 percent on average in 2010,” he said.

Boediono added that four main MDG challenges still remained that affected the Asia-Pacific region.

“First, extreme poverty is still prevalent, especially in Southeast Asia, with severe child malnutrition in South Asia and Southeast Asia,” he said.

Wide disparity in access to primary school enrollment still existed in the Pacific and the school dropout rate was still high in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Boediono said.

“Gender disparity in secondary and tertiary education remains widespread,” he said.

“Third, infant and child mortality remain high, as do maternal mortality and HIV infection rates.”

The last challenge was deforestation that continued at an alarming rate, while CO2 emissions remained high across the region, except for North Asia and Central Asia, he said.

Boediono said Indonesia had managed to cut in half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and improve detection and treatment of tuberculosis through directly observed treatment short course.

“MDGs that will most likely be achieved by 2015 are to ensure all children will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling, eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and reduce the under-five mortality rate,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, more hard work would be needed by 2015 to reduce maternal mortality rates, combat HIV/AIDS and increase the size of forested areas.

In response to Indonesia’s achievements and future goals, former UN special ambassador for MDGs in Asia and the Pacific Erna Witoelar said Indonesia should look to Malaysia and Thailand, which have both exceeded their MDGs years before the deadline.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, she said Malaysia and Thailand had set targets of zero poverty and universal school enrollment for children.

Thailand, she continued, had also exceeded its targets for maternal mortality rate.

Global anti-poverty agency ActionAid recommended that MDGs be legislated and implemented as human rights.

The UN General Assembly declared access to clean water and sanitation a human right in a resolution that more than 40 countries, including the US, did not support.

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Int’l medical team provides free services

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon | Sat, 07/31/2010 11:48 AM

Medical teams from various countries collaborated in the 2010 Pacific Partnership Mission to provide free medical services to thousands of coastal residents in Maluku.

The humanitarian mission was carried out for three days from July 27 in a number of locations in the region. It was part of the Sail Banda event, which will be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono on Aug. 3.

More than 17,000 people received health services, said Pacific Partnership Mission Commander Capt. Lisa M. Franchetti. Around 105 doctors were involved in the mission, consisting of 40 doctors manning onshore health posts and 65 doctors aboard the USNS Mercy hospital ship.

“Medical examinations and treatment are conducted at the health posts on land as well as aboard the USNS Mercy,” Franchetti told The Jakarta Post at a health post in Pelauw village, Haruku Island, on Thursday.

More than 10 health posts have been set up on Seram, Ambon and Haruku islands to support the

program. To reach posts outside Ambon city, medical teams and logistics were airlifted by two helicopters on stand-by aboard the USNS Mercy.

“The most common sickness is sore eyes. More than 500 patients come each day to have their eyes treated. Besides medicine, we also provide eyeglasses. Many of the residents also complain about internal illnesses and a number of common ailments,” Franchetti said.

Ailments requiring surgery on board the USNS Mercy include kidney problems, prostate cancer, hernia and cleft palate, Franchetti said.

Members of the medical team on board the USNS Mercy are able to perform between 150 and 200 surgeries daily, while the on-land health posts provide medical treatment for common ailments, such as sore eyes, toothaches, internal diseases and skin ailments.

The medical workers mark the patients with colored wrist bands according to their ailments, such as red for sore eyes, purple for toothaches and yellow for common

illnesses.

Data on patients and their ailments are recorded on computers using the Civil Humanitarian Information Management Expeditionary System (CHIMES).

“We will give this data to the Maluku governor after our mission in Maluku is over, and we will also submit it to the Health Ministry,” Franchetti said.

Besides the presence of the USNS Mercy from the US, a number of countries have also dispatched hospital ships. Singapore deployed its RSS Endevour, while Australia contributed the services of two heavy landing craft (HLC) — HMAS Labuan (L128) and HMAS Tarakan (L129).

Other countries taking part in the program include Canada, Cambodia, New Zealand, the UK and Indonesia. As many as 17 international relief organizations also took part in the mission by sending activists and relief aid.

USNS Mercy arrival a blessing for Ambon’s neediest residents

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon | Thu, 07/29/2010 9:47 AM |

Nurjanah could not be happier. Her three-year-old daughter, Cici Mahdani, just received corrective surgery to a cleft palate she was born with aboard the 273-meter floating hospital US Navy hospital ship, USNS Mercy.

The 24-year-old mother said she could not have afforded the surgery otherwise.

“I’m so grateful that my daughter received free surgery here. She could not have the surgery before since we did not have the money to take her to the hospital,” she told The Jakarta Post in the ship’s waiting room on Wednesday.

The vessel, carrying 956 US Navy military and civilian personnel, docked in Ambon on Monday. It is on a mission to provide free medical services, including surgeries, as part of Operation Surya Baskara Jaya, which is part of the ongoing Sail Banda maritime event.

The free medical services was also hassle free, according to Nurjanah, who said she did not have to undergo any complicated administrative procedures.

Nurjanah said she was only required to submit a letter explaining where she lives and a letter on her daughter’s ailment. The next day, her daughter was on the surgery list.

“When I heard about the ship’s services from my cousin, who works at a community health clinic in Ambon, I was just submitted the letters and my daughter could come here for the surgery. The

arrangements took only one day,” Nurjanah said.

Despite her troubles in speaking English, she said the doctors and attendants made efforts to consult her condition and that of her daughter.

Nurjanah said she felt lucky to be able to board the world’s largest hospital ship. Out of the hundreds of patients who were offered treatment, only 83 had been referred for surgery aboard the sophisticated vessel.

USNS Mercy contingent commander Capt. Jeffery W. Paulson said more than 20 patients had undergone surgery aboard the vessel since Tuesday.

“We intend to operate on 83 patients on the ship. We have also opened a dental clinic and worked together with 50 health clinics in Ambon and the surrounding areas,” Paulson said.

“We estimate that 500 patients will receive treatment each day.

“The biggest surgery we’ve performed so far on our visit to Ambon was an orthopedic surgery. But we’ve also performed cataract and harelip surgeries,” said Paulson.

During its visit to Ambon, the USNS Mercy will provide free surgery, medical treatment and dental care at a number of locations in Ambon and the surrounding islands, including Seram and Haruku islands.

Currently on its 2010 Pacific Partnership mission, USNS Mercy is supported by 65 doctors and assisted by hundreds of medical attendants.

In the Pacific Partnership mission, the USNS Mercy is led by three captains — Capt. Lisa M. Franchetti (Pacific Partnership mission commander), Capt. Jeffery W. Paulson (medical contingent commander) and Capt. David C. Bradshaw (ship’s captain).

The 2010 Pacific Partnership is part of the fifth training exercise conducted in Indonesia aiming to help disaster victims and strengthen regional cooperation.

The humanitarian mission carried out by the US and a number of countries is currently taking place simultaneously with the Sail Banda event in Maluku.

Mission commander Capt. Franchetti said she was proud to be a part of the Sail Banda event.

“Our visit to Maluku has been very productive and full of memories,” said Franchetti.

Various teams participating in the mission in Indonesia are professionals in various fields, such as medical and machinery.

They come from Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Singapore, New Zealand, England, Indonesia and the US armed forces.

Volunteers from a number of NGOs are also involved in the mission.

The USNS Mercy has made three visits to Indonesia. The first was its involvement in humanitarian efforts after the 2004 boxing day tsunami that devastated Aceh. In 2006, it docked in Indonesia as part of its five-monthly program providing medical mitigation programs in Bangladesh, Timor Leste and the Philippines.

After setting sail from Ambon, the USNS Mercy will head to Timor Leste to complete the 2010 Pacific Partnership mission.

Mercy visit: The US Navy's USNS Mercy hospital ship docks in the Gulf of Jakarta on Wednesday. The ship will take part in the Sail Banda 2010, which is scheduled to run from late July to August.Antara/Fanny Octavianus

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ADB Extends $35 Million for Sanitation Improvement in 2 Indonesian Cities

Jakarta Globe, July 20, 2010

Indonesia.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $35 million loan to help Indonesia rehabilitate and expand sanitation facilities in the cities of Medan and Yogyakarta.

Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, and Yogyakarta, the capital of Yogyakarta province, have a combined population of around 4.5 million people.

The loan will be used to build around 280 communal sanitation facilities in poor areas in the two cities, as well as two wastewater treatment systems for low-cost housing development projects in Medan.

Sewerage systems will be rehabilitated and expanded with up to 28,000 additional household connections.

The Metropolitan Sanitation Management and Health Project will also provide support to mobilize community involvement in the planning, operation and maintenance of communal facilities, and will ensure women are strongly involved in the process.

“A gender action plan in the project design will ensure women fully participate in the decision-making process for the development of facilities, and that they benefit equally with men from improved communal services,” said Rudolf Frauendorfer in ADB’s Southeast Asia Department.

Sanitation services have steadily improved in Indonesia, but still lag behind many neighboring countries, with partial sewerage coverage only available in a small number of urban centers.

Since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998, new sanitation investments have been postponed and existing treatment systems have deteriorated due to lack of repair and maintenance.

As a result, many of the poor living in informal settlements suffer high rates of diarrhea, skin diseases and other illnesses caused by polluted water and untreated waste.

“This project will sharply reduce pollution of surface and shallow groundwater in the two cities, resulting in improved health and quality of life particularly for women, children and the elderly who suffer the most from unclean environments,” Mr. Frauendorfer said.

The loan is structured to ensure that operating and maintenance spending on revenue-generating services can be fully funded from user tariff income by the middle of 2014, while remaining affordable to low-income communities.

Insufficient revenue for service providers and low user charges, which deter private investment in new facilities, have been a major impediment to the expansion of sanitation services.

To complement the loan, ADB will provide a $500,000 grant from its Technical Assistance Special Fund to strengthen the capacity and management capabilities of local governments, utilities and communities involved in providing or overseeing sanitation services.

Further technical assistance of $1 million in the form of a grant from the Government of Australia, will be administered by ADB.

The loan has a 25-year term, with a five-year grace period and an interest rate determined in accordance with ADB’s LIBOR-based lending facility.

The government of Indonesia will provide additional funding of $14.2 million, with regional governments committing $13.5 million, and provincial governments almost $500,000, for a total project of about $63.2 million.

The Ministry of Public Works is the executing agency for the project which is expected to be completed around December 2014.

RI, Australia, Unicef to enhance basic education in Papua

Antara News, Wednesday, March 31, 2010 19:18 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A new joint partnership to enhance basic education in Papua and West Papua provinces is to be signed by the Indonesian and Australian governments and UNICEF (United Nations Children`s Fund).

"Australia is very pleased to extend its support to education in Papua and West Papua with UNICEF through this program," said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer said ahead of the agreement`s signing, according to a press statement from the Australian Embassy on Wednesday.

Australia will contribute seven million Australian dollars (58.9 billion US dollars) to UNICEF for the next two years to support the two provinces in order to more quickly achieve universal primary education.

Ambassador Farmer said that the program will give kids, who are in poor and remote areas in Indonesia, a better opportunity to receive quality education."

The Director General of Primary and Secondary Education Management at the Ministry of National Education, Professor Suyanto said that the program is committed to ensure Indonesian children have the best possible education, including in Papua and West Papua.

Besides, the program also supported the local governments to improve planning and management of human resources as an important effort, Suyanto said.

"Indonesia has made significant progress in achieving basic education targets. Though this country as a whole is on on the right track to achieve universal primary education, the situation varies from province to province," said UNICEF representative to Indonesia, Angela Kearney.

She also said that UNICEF was committed to supporting Indonesia to achieve its objective to ensure that all children in Indonesia have access to quality basic education.

This program will work with the two provinces to develop a strategic plan for education, and improve teaching and learning practices in more than 800 schools in six selected districts, also help to improve literacy and numeracy skills in small schools and remote areas through the provision of teacher training and learning materials.

Govt earmarks Rp 800b for infrastructure in disadvantaged regions

The Jakarta Post, Antara, Pontianak| Sat, 03/27/2010 6:14 PM

Disadvantaged Regions Development Minister Helmy Faisal Zani said his office has allocated Rp 800 billion (US$88 million) in funds for infrastructure development in 147 regions.

"The disadvantaged regions need such an affirmative policy," said Helmy in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Saturday.

The minister said his office had initiated several programs for development in disadvantaged regions. They covered electricity provision and road construction.

During the visit, Helmy and Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a cooperation to enhance health services in remote and border areas and islands.

He said 26 out of a total of 37 regencies or cities in Indonesian border areas were categorized as disadvantaged regions. Such a condition is quite ironic as border areas function as Indonesia's front gate, he said.

"Development in remote areas is needed to accelerate the eradication of poverty there," he said.