Majene Patient Shelter Built in Makassar Next Year

Majene, Sulbarkita.com -- Majene Regent Fahmi Massiara plans to build a patient shelter in Makassar, South Sulawesi in 2020. This shelter is intended for poor residents of Majene who will seek treatment at a hospital in Makassar.

According to Fahmi, the construction of this halfway house will be adjusted to other urgent budget needs, such as regional election funds and BPJS contribution increases. "The shelter we have thought about with the condition that the budget is back to normal," Fahmi said, Monday, November 4, 2019.

The nominal budget needed will be discussed in advance with the planning consultant. "The government will sell assets that are not productive in Makassar to buy houses around the referral hospital in Makassar," he said.

Head of the Majene Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD), Kasman Kabil, said that regional financing in 2020 is quite heavy.

"Our funding is quite heavy next year, such as the elections, BPJS contributions, and village funds. On the other hand, the financial capacity is decreasing, the balance of funds from the central government has decreased by around 9 billion rupiah," he said, Wednesday, November 6, 2019.

The patient shelter was originally conceived by the management of the Mandene Majene Indonesia Student Association (IM3I) since four years ago. That is because the Majene Regional General Hospital (RSUD) still experiences limitations in facilitating the treatment of patients.

IM3I Chairperson Andi Dwi Sasmianto said that this plan was a collective idea that was passed down to every IM3I cadre. The spirit was continued from time to time by including it in the priority work program of the IM3I Public Relations division.

"This is a form of our concern for the large number of Majene residents who were referred to various hospitals in Makassar," said Andi Dwi.

All this time, IM3I students have been escorting patients who were referred to Makassar in the form of assistance in administering hospital administration, taking blood, purchasing drugs at pharmacies outside the hospital and making the IM3I secretariat a place to stay for Majene patients.

"We continue to provide assistance to each patient while continuing to urge the Government of Majene Regency so that this shelter to be built immediately," said Andi Dwi.

Andi Dwi said the idea was repeatedly rejected by the Regency Government because of limited budget. "In fact, we have explained the concept of this patient shelter before the Government of Majene, but it has been rejected for the same reason," he said.

The climax on 16 September 2019 coincided with the inauguration of Majene DPRD members. The students held a demonstration asking for the commitment of legislator Majene to help encourage the provision of the patient's halfway house.

The demand was finally accepted after the IM3I board reiterated the concept of the Patient Shelter Center with the legislative and executive branches of Health, the Office of Financial Management and Regional Assets, on Friday, 18 October 2019. "We hope that the government will not only build the shelter, but also take part in managing it in the future," said Andi Dwi.

This news was first conveyed by Deputy Chairman of the Majene Regional Representative Council (DPRD), Adi Ahsan. He said the patient shelter would be built using the 2020 Regional Budget (APBD). "The Majene Regent responded positively to this plan," he said Thursday, October 24, 2019.

In the first phase, the regency government will rent a house near a health facility in Makassar. This is so that the program can be felt by the community in the near future. "If the government cannot finance it through the APBD this year, I will bail out a lease using private funds, then next year it is budgeted," said Adi Ahsan.

Meanwhile, the management of the temporary shelter will be handled by student organizations in Makassar, namely the Mandar Majene Indonesia Student Association (IM3I). "I will invite the management of IM3I and the Health Office to discuss the management system," said Adi Ahsan.

Muhammad Ashari