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Indonesia's Lippo Group and the Beijing Tong Ren Hospital of
China have signed a collaboration agreement to improve health services
in Indonesia with a view to reducing the number of Indonesians going
abroad for medical treatment.
The deal was signed during Tuesday's opening ceremony for the
China-ASEAN Expo, which is being held in the Chinese city of Nanning,
Guang Xi, at the conclusion of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's
official visit to China.
During the ceremony, which was also attended by other ASEAN leaders, as
well as Indonesian Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu, the deputy chief
commissioner of the Lippo Group, Surjadi Soedirja, said that the
agreement would also cover cooperation on medical education and
research, and the development of healthcare businesses in both
countries.
"This will include the promotion of Chinese medicine in Indonesia," he
said.
According to Surjadi, the deal would help Siloam International
Hospital, a subsidiary of the Lippo Group, to improve the medical
services it provides in its hospitals in Jakarta, Tangerang (West
Java), Cikarang (West Java), and Surabaya (East Java).
With the signing of the collaboration agreement, he expressed the hope
that the number of Indonesians seeking medical services overseas would
decline, thus helping Indonesia save hundreds of millions of dollars in
foreign exchange every year.
Beijing Tong Ren Hospital, with a capacity of 2,800 beds, was
established in 1886 and is one of China's best-known hospitals.
Lippo Group is one of Indonesia's widely diversified conglomerates,
whose interests extend to real estate, retailing, healthcare, finance
and telecommunications.
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