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Prostate cancer operations now available locally

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Jakarta, IO – Increased life expectancy is accompanied by age-related conditions. In men, this may mostly involve urology problems, usually in the prostate. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) may not be dangerous, but it does lower one’s quality of life. Therefore, the current rising trend of prostate cancer has inspired WHO into declaring September as ‘Prostate Cancer Awareness Month”. 

With a population of 275 million, Indonesia has an extreme gap between the number of urologists and the population they must serve. We only have 6,011 doctors specializing in urology, which means only a single urologist is available for each 45,000 citizens – and 25% of them are practicing in the JakartaBogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) area. It’s no surprise that two million citizens go abroad for urology treatments, spending no less than IDR 97 trillion a year for this purpose. 

“However, I have good news: robotic technology for treating prostate problems is now available in Indonesia. These include biopsies (tissue harvesting) and radical prostatectomy (operation for lifting a damaged prostate gland). We seek to close the gaps by involving all stakeholders in the creation and maintenance of a Prostate Network. The DaVinci robot is priced at just IDR 60 billion, and it is run by a team of competent urologists who can help prostate patients here, instead of leaving them with the burden of seeking medical treatment abroad,” said dr. Sigit Sholichin, Sp.U, FICRS, of Bunda Urology Center Jakarta, in a media meet held last Thursday (01/09/2022). 

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