The Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) took possession of the second of three hospital ships, the KRI Dr. Rajiman Wedyodiningrat-992, in Surabaya, East Java, after the state-owned shipyard, PT PAL, handed them over during Indonesian Independence Month in August. PT PAL also turned over the medical ship KRI Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-991 to the Indonesian Navy in January. The ship was named after Dr. Radjiman Wedyodiningrat, an Indonesian medical scholar and humanitarian who helped establish the Indonesian Republic.
This medical ship, valued at USD 52.7 million (IDR 764 billion), will be ready to help in the event of a natural disaster. The ship’s facilities include full medical facilities for COVID-19 patients, including a surgical theater, CT scan, x-ray, and isolation rooms. It will also contain a general polyclinic, an emergency department, and in-patient facilities for up to 159 people. The vessel will carry 163 crew members and 63 medical personnel.
The presence of hospital ships is critical for Indonesia and the Indonesian Navy. The new medical ship will suit Indonesia’s navy fleet’s needs for combat operations and activities beyond the battlefield. It is used as a mobile health service that can cover all areas of Indonesia in the form of an archipelago, in addition to assisting OMP (military war operations) and OMSP (non-war military operations) maritime operations.
(Source: The Jakarta Post; The Defense Post)
