WAMENA – RS Marzoeki Mahdi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the National Mental Health Service Mentorship Program with the Provincial Government of Highland Papua on Friday (June 26) at Baliem Pilamo Hotel, Wamena, Jayawijaya Regency.

The signing ceremony was part of the Ministry of Health's Priority Healthcare Mentorship Program, which brought together the provincial government, national referral hospitals, and hospitals from eight regencies across Highland Papua. RS Marzoeki Mahdi was represented by Rico Mardiansyah, Director of Human Resources, Education, and Research.

The collaboration marks a strategic step toward strengthening mental health services in Highland Papua through the national mentorship program, with RS Marzoeki Mahdi serving as the national and regional coordinator for mental health service mentorship.

Governor of Highland Papua, John Tabo, stated that the mentorship program offers new hope for communities across the province by bringing quality healthcare services closer to where people live and reducing the need for referrals outside the region.

"Indonesia has been independent for more than 70 years, yet many of our people have not fully experienced equitable access to healthcare services," he said.

According to the Governor, the province's challenging geography continues to limit access to healthcare, making the strengthening of local hospital capacity an urgent priority.

"When critically ill patients have to be referred outside the region, it is extremely difficult. We are grateful that this program will bring healthcare services closer to our communities," he added.

He also expressed hope that hospitals throughout Highland Papua would be strengthened so that patients could receive referral services in Wamena without having to travel outside Papua.

Through this mentorship program, RS Marzoeki Mahdi will provide technical assistance to partner hospitals in Highland Papua to strengthen mental health services. The assistance will include capacity building for healthcare professionals, improvement of service governance, development of clinical service pathways, and support in meeting national standards for mental health services established by the Ministry of Health.

The program is expected to enhance the capacity of regional hospitals to deliver comprehensive mental health services, ensuring that communities in Highland Papua have greater access to quality, equitable, and sustainable mental healthcare within their own region. (R)