Stroke and heart disease top causes of death in Indonesia: Minister

Pontianak, W Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, stated that stroke and heart disease remain the leading causes of death in Indonesia.

"In Indonesia, the most common cause of death is stroke. I asked the director of the hospital here, and it turns out that it is the same; stroke is also the leading (cause of death)," Minister Sadikin remarked at the groundbreaking ceremony of the TBSI Regional Public Hospital in Kubu Raya here on Wednesday.

He stated that heart disease ranks second as a cause of death, followed by cancer.

Sadikin pointed out that even among security personnel, such as military and police officers, deaths from stroke, heart disease, and cancer far outnumber those caused by physical violence or conflicts.

"They want to be diligent in training to avoid getting shot or injured. I say do not forget also to take care of your health. The fact is, more people die not from weapons but from stroke and heart disease," he explained.

The minister also stressed the importance of comprehensive health facilities in the region to reduce the need for patient referrals to hospitals outside the region to receive health services.

He acknowledged that the patient referral process from the regions to West Kalimantan's capital city, Pontianak, or to Jakarta or overseas, imposes significant financial and psychological burdens on patients and their families.

He said the hospital constructed in Kubu Raya will be equipped with medical equipment to treat priority diseases and address these challenges.

The TBSI Regional Public Hospital in Kubu Raya will have several facilities, such as CT scan, a Cath Lab, and echocardiography ultrasound equipment.