Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang, Monday, July 07, 2008
Hundreds of patients lined up Saturday for free surgery at the Defense Ministry's Suyoto Rehabilitation Center in Bintaro, South Jakarta.
Among them was Rasmini, 29, who brought her 2-year-old son Rizki to the center for surgery on his cleft lip. She said she was very thankful for the chance, because it meant her son would finally be allowed to greet the world with a full smile.
"My husband works as a bread vendor so we have no money for the kind of operation our child needs," she told The Jakarta Post.
Rasmini, who lives in a small house owned by her husband's employer at the Nuri Bintaro Jaya housing complex in Tangerang, said she immediately registered her son at the center after learning in April about the free surgery.
"I want to see my son smile at the world and begin confidently playing with other kids in the neighborhood," she said.
Hundreds of lower income residents will receive free surgery for cataracts, cleft lips, hernias and minor and major tumors at the center on Saturday and Sunday.
The free surgery program is being held to mark the center's 40th anniversary, Dr. Indrayani, a member of the program's organizing committee, told the Post.
"This social service activity involves 50 specialist doctors, 13 general practitioners, 94 nurses and 302 volunteers serving the patients over the two-day period," she said.
All registered patients were required to undergo a series of health tests at the center. Only 640 out of more than a thousand who registered met the requirements for the free surgery.
"Today, we plan to operate on up to 233 cataract patients, 70 hernia patients, 14 cleft lip patients, 96 minor tumor patients and 69 major tumor ones," Dr. Indrayani said.
She said Sunday's surgeries would include 106 cataract, 10 labioschisiz and 42 major tumor patients.
Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Slamet Riyanto said this was the largest social service program of its kind ever held at the center, while Defense Ministry secretary Lt. Gen. Syafrie Syamsudin said lower income patients deserved access to the center's medical facilities.
"I think more programs like this should be undertaken," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment