Free Ambulance Service 24 Hours Operates in Jakarta and Palembang
Free ambulance service from the Babel provincial government eases referral patient transport costs in Jakarta and Palembang.
PANGKALPINANG — Free Ambulance Service 24 Hours Operates in Jakarta and Palembang for Bangka Belitung residents who need treatment outside the islands, with the provincial government covering transport for referral patients day and night. The service is meant to ease the sharp costs families face as soon as they land in a big city for medical care.
The program runs under a humanitarian initiative called “SAHABAT HIDAYAT ARSANI.” It is aimed at low-income residents and patients who need fast movement from airports to referral hospitals or to the Babel provincial shelter house.
Why the service matters for referral patients
For many families, the trip is expensive before treatment even starts. A private ambulance or special vehicle from the airport to a hospital in Jakarta or Palembang can cost millions of rupiah in one trip.
That bill can hit at the worst moment. Families are already dealing with a diagnosis, a long trip, and paperwork. Now they also have one less cost to worry about.
Hidayat Arsani, Acting Governor of Bangka Belitung, said the government must be present when residents are at their most vulnerable.
“Public health is our dignity and top priority. We do not want a single Bangka Belitung resident to feel alone or have their right to treatment blocked just because they are worried about ambulance costs in Jakarta or Palembang,” Hidayat said at the launch.
How the free ambulance service works
The provincial government said the 24-hour free ambulance service includes pickups from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang and Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in Palembang. From there, patients are taken to major referral hospitals or to the provincial shelter house for temporary stopover.
The service is handled on a priority basis. That matters. The government wants to avoid overlap, keep the vehicles available, and make sure support goes to patients who truly need medical logistics help.
Based on referral data from the health office, hundreds of patients from Bangka Belitung are sent outside the region each year for more advanced care. Many are referred to national hospitals such as Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, or RSCM, in Jakarta and Dr. Mohammad Hoesin General Hospital in Palembang.
That flow explains why airport-to-hospital transport has become a practical issue, not a side note. For patients with limited mobility, a wrong transfer arrangement can mean more pain, more risk, and more money.
Who can use it
The province has set five main criteria for patients who can use the free ambulance service:
- Elderly patients with physical limitations or difficulty moving independently.
- Patients with disabilities who need special assistance or equipment.
- Patients who depend on a wheelchair or other walking aids.
- Patients in weak physical condition who face higher risks if forced to use public transport.
- Non-critical patients whose condition is stable and who do not need ventilator support during the trip.
Those rules are meant to keep the service focused. They also help staff decide quickly when requests come in by phone or WhatsApp, especially after patients arrive in Jakarta or Palembang and need immediate transfer.
To make the program reach villages too, the provincial government has instructed agency heads, subdistrict chiefs, and village heads across Bangka Belitung to share the emergency contacts with residents.
For Jakarta and its surrounding areas, the coordinator is Shinta Murniati, reachable at 0812-1855-333 and 0858-9911-1990. For Palembang, the contact is Yudi at 0812-7840-1505.
The government said it will keep coordinating with the management of the Babel shelter houses in Jakarta and Palembang so patient pickups can run without technical problems at the airport, a detail that often decides whether a transfer feels smooth or stalls at the curb.
