Indonesia-funded hospital in Gaza ready to open in 2013

JAKARTA.  April 26. KAZINFORM A senior official at Indonesian emergency medical service agency of Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) said that the construction of a hospital initiated by the agency is nearing completion and ready to serve Palestinians in the Gaza strip next year, local media reported Thursday.

"We will start furnishing the new building in May before installing the German-made medical equipment. Hopefully, we will be able to complete the process by the end of this year and the hospital will begin operation in 2013,"Sarbini Abdul Murrad said.

Sarbini added that the hospital was aimed at treating and rehabilitating trauma patients, as well as providing first aid and care for those living in the Gaza strip, Xinhua informed.

Gaza regularly sees outbreaks of violence, the result of a stand-off between the Israeli government and Hamas, the local Palestinian authority in the territory.

The hospital, which began construction last year on 9,000- square-meter of land donated by the Palestinian Authority, is located only three kilometers from the Israeli border. "We hope that with the hospital, people will no longer need to leave the Gaza Strip for treatment,"Sarbini was quoted by the Jakarta Post daily as saying.

He said the pentagon-shaped 3.26-million-U.S. dollars-worth building, namely Hospital Indonesia, is designed by an Indonesian architect. The hospital also serves as a token of friendship between Palestine and Indonesia and is a symbol of pride for Indonesians.

In May 2010, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pledged to provide health facility and medical service for the Palestinians.