Friday, 11 September 2026
MEDAN | INDATANEWS.COM - North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution is optimistic that cooperation with South Korea in the healthcare sector will have a positive impact on regional development. The partnership is expected to help improve hospital facilities and the quality of healthcare services while strengthening North Sumatra's appeal as a region with significant development potential in the healthcare sector.
Bobby Nasution expressed the optimism on Tuesday evening, September 8, 2026, when he received South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Yoon Soongu and his delegation at his office on the 10th floor of the North Sumatra Governor's Office on Jalan Diponegoro No. 30 in Medan.The meeting also marked another step toward deepening cooperation between the North Sumatra Provincial Government and South Korea. The discussion focused on the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) concerning the development of the healthcare sector in North Sumatra.
"We warmly welcome the visit of the delegation from South Korea to strengthen cooperation in the healthcare sector. Just as President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto has made healthcare one of the national priorities, we are pursuing the same approach in North Sumatra," Bobby said.According to Bobby, strengthening healthcare services at the sub-district level is important to ensure that people living far from urban centers have access to quality medical care. The facilities are also expected to provide inpatient treatment so that residents do not always have to rely on hospitals in city centers when they require medical attention.
"The North Sumatra Provincial Government began a program in 2026 to improve the facilities and equipment of Puskesmas, and this program will continue to be developed. In addition, we are providing financial support for the construction of regional public hospitals, or RSUDs, in areas that do not yet have their own hospitals," Bobby explained.In addition to expanding healthcare infrastructure, the North Sumatra Provincial Government is also focusing on the quality of existing hospitals. The government is working to improve facilities and services while strengthening the capacity of healthcare professionals so that hospitals can provide increasingly better medical care to the public.
These measures are also linked to the provincial government's plans to develop a healthcare center or healthcare cluster in Medan and Deli Serdang Regency. The development of these areas is part of the regional government's efforts to further strengthen the entire healthcare system in North Sumatra.
Bobby highlighted several government-run hospitals that play an important role in providing medical services to the public. These include Rumah Sakit Haji, the Rumah Sakit Jiwa psychiatric hospital, as well as the Rumah Sakit Mata dan Paru eye and lung hospital.
"North Sumatra has RS Haji, RS Jiwa, as well as RS Mata dan Paru. We want all of these facilities to continue developing so they can provide better healthcare services," Bobby said.According to Bobby, hospital development cannot focus solely on physical infrastructure. The government must also ensure the availability of adequate medical equipment, improve the quality of services, and strengthen human resources at healthcare facilities.
In this way, improvements to healthcare infrastructure are expected to go hand in hand with higher-quality medical services. This step is considered crucial to meeting the healthcare needs of the people of North Sumatra while supporting national healthcare goals.Bobby stressed that healthcare cooperation with South Korea was not a short-term initiative. The North Sumatra Provincial Government had already pursued the initiative at the beginning of his tenure as governor. Several discussions on the forms and implementation of the cooperation had taken place before the signing of the MoU.
Bobby therefore hopes that the partnership can now quickly move into the implementation phase and produce programs that directly benefit the public. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of transparent implementation to ensure that all processes comply with applicable regulations and avoid potential problems.
Bobby called on all parties to ensure that the cooperation is carried out openly and transparently. He hopes the partnership with South Korea can serve as an example of international cooperation that delivers tangible benefits to the people of North Sumatra.
"We hope this cooperation will become a good example and provide concrete benefits to the public. Therefore, we would once again like to thank the South Korean ambassador and his delegation for their visit and for bringing hospital representatives who can serve as a bridge between the two sides," Bobby said.South Korean Ambassador to Indonesia Yoon Soongu, meanwhile, said that his country would continue to support developing countries. South Korea has various programs to support development in partner countries, including through loans, assistance, and investment.
Yoon emphasized that cooperation with North Sumatra in the healthcare sector should be directed toward concrete projects as quickly as possible. By implementing real projects, the benefits of the partnership can reach the public directly while further strengthening relations between South Korea and Indonesia."The goal is for this cooperation to continue creating synergies and to be implemented quickly through concrete projects. We also hope that the next steps will proceed smoothly and benefit the public," he said in closing.
The signing of the MoU between the North Sumatra Provincial Government and South Korea therefore represents a first step toward strengthening cooperation in the development of the healthcare sector. The regional government hopes the partnership will not stop at an administrative agreement but will continue through programs and projects aimed at improving the quality of healthcare infrastructure and medical services in North Sumatra.The cooperation also provides North Sumatra with an opportunity to expand its international network in the healthcare sector. Through technological support, facility development, human resource capacity building, and investment, the North Sumatra Provincial Government hopes to further improve the quality of healthcare services in the region, increase its competitiveness, and better meet the needs of its people. (IDNC)
REPORTER: Ahmad Zulfikar | EDITOR: Fik Sagala
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