A new chapter for stronger heart and stroke care in West Lombok
- Aug 6, 2026
- Durasi baca: (time) menit
Home to more than 776,000 people, West Lombok is a regency in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province on Lombok Island, east of Bali. Spanning coastal villages, agricultural communities, and growing urban areas, the region continues to face evolving healthcare needs.
For decades, RSUD Patut Patuh Patju has been at the heart of care for the community, supporting generations through everyday health needs and critical moments. In recent years, the hospital recorded over 132,000 outpatient visits and 16,000 inpatient admissions, supported by about 845 healthcare professionals and staff. Its recent upgrade to Class B status and Paripurna accreditation reflect a strong commitment to continuous improvement and future readiness.
Today, the hospital is looking ahead, guided by a vision to strengthen specialist care and expand access to advanced treatment closer to home. With a focus on advancing cardiovascular and neurovascular care, the new advanced image guided therapy system (Cath Lab), installed under the Strengthening Indonesia’s Healthcare Referral Network (SIHREN) initiative, marks a milestone in that journey.
We spoke with dr. Suriyadi, Sp.An., Director of RSUD Patut Patuh Patju, about the hospital's aspirations and what this next chapter could mean for patients and healthcare professionals.
Q: What is RSUD Patut Patuh Patju's vision for the future of healthcare in West Lombok?
dr. Suriyadi:
Our vision is to strengthen healthcare services so more people in West Lombok can access high quality care without having to travel far from home. As the main referral hospital, we serve communities across ten districts locally and receive patients from neighboring areas such as Mataram City, North Lombok, and Central Lombok, making us a key part of the referral network in the province.
To realize this, we are expanding capabilities and improving service quality in line with evolving community needs. The new Cath Lab is a key step forward, enhancing our ability to deliver advanced cardiovascular and neurovascular care.
At the same time, we are strengthening the broader care ecosystem, including emergency, diagnostics, intensive care, and specialist services, recognizing that advanced care depends not only on technology, but also on well coordinated teams and systems.
Ultimately, our goal is a future ready healthcare system that ensures patients can access timely, advanced treatment within their own community.
Q: What healthcare challenges are shaping the hospital's priorities today?
dr. Suriyadi:
Cardiovascular disease is becoming an increasingly important health concern in the communities we serve.
Recent data shows that atherosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease) is among our top outpatient diagnoses, with more than 2,600 cases recorded annually. Heart failure is the third most common inpatient diagnosis, while stroke related conditions also rank among our leading inpatient cases.
These trends highlight that cardiovascular care is not only about treating disease, but also ensuring patients have access to the right care at the right time. Behind these numbers are patients and families whose lives can change suddenly, where timely diagnosis and treatment are critical.
Q: Before the Cath Lab was installed, what was the experience like for patients who needed advanced cardiac or stroke-related care?
dr. Suriyadi:
Before the Cath Lab was available, patients requiring advanced procedures were often referred to facilities in the neighboring Mataram City. The nearest facility is located around 15 to 20 kilometers from our hospital.
In time sensitive conditions such as heart attacks and certain types of stroke, timely access to care is critical. While the distance itself may not seem significant, for patients and families dealing with a serious heart condition, it can add another layer of stress. There are transportation arrangements to consider, additional travel expenses, and the need to coordinate care between different facilities. For some families, those practical challenges can become an added burden during an already difficult time.
Q: How does the Cath Lab support the hospital's long-term ambitions?
dr. Suriyadi:
The Cath Lab is an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen cardiac and stroke-related services in West Lombok.
Once operational, it is expected to support advanced procedures locally, provide more comprehensive services for patients with cardiac and stroke-related conditions and contribute to broader efforts to improve healthcare access within the region.
This is part of our broader efforts to strengthen specialist services and build local clinical expertise. For our healthcare professionals, it creates opportunities to deepen specialist skills, work with advanced technologies, and deliver more complex procedures with greater confidence.
Ultimately, this strengthens our ability to serve the community by making advanced care more accessible within the region.
Q: What still needs to happen before the Cath Lab can begin serving patients?
dr. Suriyadi:
Advanced care depends on much more than equipment. It requires trained healthcare professionals, clear clinical pathways, strong teamwork, and supporting infrastructure.
To support service readiness, two training sessions have been completed by the Philips team, and the required BAPETEN licence has also been obtained. The hospital is now preparing for a proctorship planned for next month. The BPJS credentialing process is also underway, and we are currently awaiting the next stage of the application.
Our focus has been on preparing the entire service, not only the facility itself. For us, readiness means ensuring the hospital has the people, processes, approvals, and clinical capabilities needed to consistently deliver safe, high-quality care from day one.
Q: What are your hopes for the people of West Lombok?
dr. Suriyadi:
My hope is that people in West Lombok will continue to benefit from greater access to quality healthcare within their own region.
The Cath Lab is one step toward that goal, but our broader aspiration is to continue building a healthcare system that can meet the changing needs of our community.
We remain focused on strengthening our capabilities, supporting our healthcare professionals and ensuring that patients receive the care they need when they need it. Ultimately, everything we do is guided by our commitment to the people we serve.
Building stronger healthcare for future generations
For the people of West Lombok, this next chapter is about more than a new service. It is about a hospital's commitment to building stronger healthcare for future generations. While important readiness steps remain before the service becomes operational, the direction is clear. By investing in people, capabilities and healthcare infrastructure, the hospital is working to ensure that more patients can access timely, high-quality heart and stroke care closer to home.
The installation is part of a previously announced multiyear agreement between Philips and Indonesia’s Ministry of Health to deploy advanced minimally-invasive image-guided therapy systems across all 38 provinces nationwide, under the Strengthening Indonesia’s Healthcare Referral Network (SIHREN) project. Through this partnership, Philips supports efforts to strengthen hospital readiness and referral networks nationwide, helping expand access to advanced care for communities.
