Zainoel Abidin State Hospital (RSUZA) is equipped with several state-of-the-art medical instruments, including a CT Scan, MRI machine and radio-diagnostic devices, and was rebuilt with aid from the German government. The facility has been receiving patients since last August, but only fully opened in 2010.
Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf commented, “ RSUZA is the most advanced hospital in Indonesia, and its facilities can match prominent hospitals in Penang and Singapore. I hope the new hospital will put an end to the practice of thousands of Acehnese going to Penang, Malaysia, or Singapore each month for medical treatment. Including myself, who had to opt for Singapore as a place to have medical treatment because the facilities there were far more advanced than what we have had in Banda Aceh. But with this new hospital, I am certain that the equipment we have now can rival hospitals abroad.” He also encouraged the staff to prove to the public that the hospital personnel could master the hospital’s advanced machines. “A strong building and advanced equipment are not enough to make RSUZA the best hospital in terms of services for the people of Aceh,” he said.
German Ambassador to Indonesia Norbert Baas added, “ RSUZA is equipped with advanced infrastructure and eco-friendly integrated waste management technology. The employees of RSUZA have been intensively trained to ensure the patients and staff can reap maximum benefits from its new facilities and equipment. The hospital is also designed to weather flooding and earthquakes.”
The hospital’s reconstruction was part of German aid for Indonesia, after the 2004 tsunami in Aceh that killed 170,000 people. The development of the two-storey hospital began in March 2006, funded by a 31 million euro grant from the German government through state-owned bank KfW. The bank will continue to guide the hospital management for the next two years and arrange collaborations between the hospital and universities in Germany for paramedic training courses. The German Agency for Technical Cooperation provided an additional 10.2 million euros worth of technical assistance. The director of the hospital, Taufik Mahdi, said the facility had 350 beds, and would add 150 more this year. Since the hospital opened, an average of 600 people a day have come to receive medical treatment.
Souce: Medical tourism news