Harumbi Prastya Hidayahningrum, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has pledged to renovate community health centers, or puskesmas, across Indonesia after inspecting medical facilities on Miangas Island, one of the country's northernmost territories.
Prabowo made the remarks during a working visit to Miangas in the Talaud Islands regency of North Sulawesi on Saturday, shortly after returning from the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines.
During the visit, the president said he discovered that some public health clinics in the remote border region had not undergone renovations for decades.
"I visited several community health clinics earlier, and the Health Minister whispered to me that some of them have not been repaired since the era of President Soeharto. We will renovate all health clinics across Indonesia as soon as possible," Prabowo said, according to a livestream broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat.
The president said improving healthcare infrastructure has become a government priority to ensure equal access to proper medical services throughout the archipelago, including remote and border regions.
Prabowo added that the visit to Miangas provided firsthand insight into the urgent infrastructure needs faced by communities in Indonesia's outermost territories.
"I am grateful to finally see the actual conditions, and hopefully we can move quickly to make improvements," he said.
The planned revitalization of puskesmas forms part of the government's broader national development agenda aimed at reducing regional disparities and strengthening basic healthcare services.
In addition to healthcare improvements, Prabowo also announced plans to modernize schools across the country. The government intends to equip schools with digital learning panels, telecommunications devices, and free internet access, particularly in underdeveloped and frontier regions.
The education initiative is expected to accelerate equal access to technology and learning opportunities in Indonesia's outermost regions.
The president also unveiled plans to develop "Red and White Fishermen Villages," including one in Miangas. The program will include the provision of fishing vessels and the construction of cold storage facilities to support coastal economies.
The government hopes the initiative will boost productivity in the fisheries sector while strengthening economic resilience in Indonesia's border communities.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/prabowo-pledges-nationwide-health-clinic-revam