UNAIR NEWS – After six years of waiting, the Ksatria Airlangga Floating Hospital ( RSTKA ) has finally received legal recognition under the Minister of Health Regulation (Permenkes). Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin issued Minister of Health Regulation Number 33 of 2023 concerning Floating Hospitals. The Minister of Health Regulation was announced aboard the RSTKA anchored in Labuan Bajo, Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on Saturday, September 9, 2023.

In six years of operations since November 2017 on Bawean Island, RSTKA has provided services with donor funding. RSTKA Director Agus Harianto said the Minister of Health’s Regulation on Floating Hospitals was a form of state recognition of floating hospital operations in Indonesia.

“This Minister of Health Regulation is a legal protection by the government to assist the operations of floating hospitals in Indonesia. Furthermore, the Minister of Health Regulation now allows floating hospitals to claim the costs of health services to the Health Social Security Administering Agency (BPJS),” said Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

RSTKA journey

After the procession, all guests were invited to joy sailing around Labuan Bajo while touring to see the RSTKA ship facilities. Dr. Agus Harianto told how RSTKA volunteers struggled while carrying out operations in the middle of the ocean, enduring nausea caused by the shaking waves. On that occasion, the Dean of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Prof. Dr. Budi Santoso, Dr. SpOG, was also present. So far, his party has helped bring in general practitioner volunteers and medical specialist program participants from Dr. Soetomo Hospital.

For your information, in 2023 RSTKA have visited 12 locations in East Nusa Tenggara, from the Regencies of Nagekeo, Ende, East Flores, Lembata, Malacca, Kefamenanu, Soe, Kupang, Rote, Sabu, Papagarang Island and Rinca Island. During that voyage, RSTKA served 378 heart screening patients, 1237 children, 344 eye patients and 998 pregnant women.

This year, RSTKA will continue to sail in the West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara regions with three main missions: screening for Congenital Heart Disease, making efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates in the islands. and preventing and eliminating stunting in the islands. (*)