Governor Pastika Calls for In Depth Study of the Need for a Training Hospital in Bali.
(3/3/2009)
As reported on
balidiscovery.com, Bali has been slated to be the site for a large training hospital [
See: Bali to Get New International Hospital].
Kompas reports that Bali's Governor Made Mangku Pastika is questioning the necessity for such a facility in Bali that will eventually cost millions of dollars to complete. The training hospital represents part of a national plan to enhance medical education across Indonesia.
Governor Pastika told members of the Provincial House of Representatives on Tuesday, February 24, 2009: "I have not received any explanation whatsoever regarding the purpose and goal of the new training hospital. I have reservations because the people will certainly be reluctant to go to a hospital if they will be treated like laboratory rabbits in the hands of medical students."
He went on the say that as far as he understood the case, the new hospital is part of a plan from the Udayana University, selected as one of 17 sites of higher education, to train doctors. At the same time, he cautions all concerned not to misinterpret his reservations regarding the project as an official rejection.
The Governor called on the various parties behind the proposed teaching hospital to study carefully the needs for such a facility. Those various parties, according to the governor, include the Provincial House of Representatives (DPRD), the Udayana University , the Governor's office and the people who will be living in close proximity to the proposed hospital.
The initial allocation of Rp. 75 billion (US$6.7 million) is drawn from the State Budget for 2008 and is part of an overall allocation being given in phases to 17 separate universities across Indonesia. The initial funding will cover planning, site surveys and construction preparation.
Bali's governor, University officials and local legislators have yet to arrive at a shared vision that will allow the project to go ahead. One major point of contention yet to be resolved is the actual location for the hospital, with a decision pending on whether the hospital can be built near the current Udayana Campus at Bukit - Jimbaran, at the site of a government-owned textile factory in Tohpati near Sanur or at the current waste disposal landfill in Suwung. The central government from Jakarta has given their counterparts in Bali two months to come to a decision on the new hospital or risk the loss of funding support.
Meanwhile the Chairman of the Bali House of Representatives (DPRD), Wisnawa, has told the press that pending further investigation of the project he is unable to give his recommendation to the governor's office or representatives from Udayana University in support of the project .
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