JAKARTA — A 22-member medical team from Saudi Arabia has been in Indonesia since early May 2024, training local doctors in advanced cardiac procedures for both adults and children. Organised by KSrelief — the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center — the mission operates out of Adam Malik Central General Hospital in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.
Saudi Cardiac Specialists Bring Rare Expertise to Medan
The delegation includes surgeons, specialist nurses, perfusionists, and respiratory therapists drawn from two of Saudi Arabia's foremost institutions: the King Faisal Cardiac Center in Jeddah and the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center in Riyadh. Their presence represents a direct transfer of world-class cardiac knowledge to a region of Indonesia that has historically lacked access to such specialised care.
Indonesia's Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, welcomed the mission warmly. "They will contribute to increasing the quality of the Health Ministry's hospitals and help speed up the transfer of knowledge to young Indonesian doctors who will work with them — in terms of work discipline, work culture, and interaction with patients," he said.
30 Surgeries Fully Funded by KSrelief
The Saudi team is expected to perform surgery on approximately 30 patients during their stay, with all costs covered by the KSrelief programme. For Indonesia, the initiative directly supports the country's health system transformation agenda — enabling regional hospitals in provinces like North Sumatra to perform complex open-heart and pediatric heart surgeries locally, rather than redirecting patients to cardiac centres in Jakarta.
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Indonesia, behind only stroke. It claims around 250,000 lives per year, including roughly 6,000 children. Yet many patients never reach a specialist, who is typically based only in large city hospitals.
Breakthrough Procedures Never Before Performed in North Sumatra
The Health Ministry noted that some of the more complex operations being conducted — including replacement of parts of the aorta and the aortic valve — had never previously been performed anywhere in North Sumatra. Dr. Faisal Habib, head of cardiovascular services at Adam Malik Hospital, highlighted one of the team's most significant contributions: minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
"One of their master skills is performing heart surgery without opening the entire chest, but only through a small opening," Dr. Habib explained. This less invasive approach reduces recovery time, lowers infection risk, and makes procedures more accessible to patients who may not be strong enough to endure full open-chest surgery.
Strengthening Saudi-Indonesian Medical Ties
The KSrelief cardiac surgery mission deepens the broader medical and diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. By bringing cutting-edge surgical knowledge directly to underserved provinces, the programme aims to build lasting local capacity — training a new generation of Indonesian cardiac surgeons who can independently handle complex cases for years to come.
Source: Arab News
