Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin received 1,000 oxygen concentrators on behalf of the government of Indonesia from Tanoto Foundation on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Banten.

It’s the first batch of 2,000 oxygen concentrators sourced by Tanoto Foundation from a factory in Foshan, China, and was flown in to Jakarta via a Garuda Indonesia aircraft from Guangzhou.

(Photos were taken in the warehouse in Foshan, China)

Combined with 1,000 oxygen concentrators already donated in conjunction with Temasek Foundation and other partners, Tanoto Foundation is donating a total of 3,000 oxygen concentrators, which were symbolically handed over by Senior Advisor at Tanoto Foundation, Sihol Aritonang.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin set a target that the Ministry will distribute the 1,000 oxygen concentrators that arrived on Monday within one week.

The oxygen concentrator donation comes at a time when Indonesian hospitals are scrambling for oxygen supplies due to rising Covid-19 cases in recent weeks. On July 9, Tanoto Foundation donated 500 tons of liquid oxygen produced by PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper, part of APRIL Group, to help meet the demand for medical oxygen supply.

Liquid oxygen can be delivered to larger hospitals, but many smaller facilities do not have the necessary infrastructure, which makes oxygen concentrators, which pull oxygen from the air, ideal.

“Small hospitals or emergency rooms without an existing oxygen network must use oxygen cylinders, but the use of these cylinders has various logistical challenges. Hence the idea to use mini oxygen factory or oxygen concentrators that can be installed on the bedside as long as there’s a power source,” said Minister Budi.

Amid the second wave of Covid-19 in Indonesia, there is a shortage of 700 tons of oxygen daily according to the Health Ministry data. The government aims to have a buffer of 2,000 tons of oxygen: 1,000 tons of liquid oxygen and the other 1,000 tons from oxygen concentrators.

According to Minister Budi, 1,000 oxygen concentrators can produce up to 20 tons of oxygen per day. The government estimates that Indonesia needs 50,000 oxygen concentrator and is planning to import 20,000 to 30,000 units.

Sihol Aritonang said that the oxygen concentrator donation is evidence of Tanoto Foundation’s commitment to support the government of Indonesia and those who are affected by the pandemic.

“The swiftness to procure and deliver various aids is crucial. However, the relationship between us and the government has allowed us to understand the priority of various needs that we must help fulfill,” said Sihol.

Tanoto Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization established by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, has cooperated with the Ministry of Health for helping meet the demand for oxygen supply.

Aside from the aforementioned liquid oxygen donation, Tanoto Foundation with 15 partners donated 11,000 oxygen concentrators to the government of Indonesia on July 13. Tanoto Foundation donated 1,000 units in the joint donation.

The Indonesian Ministry of Health recommended that Covid-19 patients with low to mild symptoms undergo quarantine for 10 days and an extra three days after the symptoms disappear. This utilization of oxygen concentrators would free-up the oxygen supply needed by patients suffering from conditions needing more intensive care at the hospitals, thus benefitting a much larger number of Covid-19 patients.

In April 2020, shortly after the first cases of Covid-19 were announced in Indonesia, Tanoto Foundation donated 1 million surgical masks, 1 million gloves, 100,000 personal protection equipment (PPE), and 30,000 goggles to Indonesia’s healthcare workers in the midst of shortage of medical supplies in the country. All donated items arrived in Jakarta within the first 10 days of large-scale social restrictions (PSBB).

Doctors are rightly treated with respect. We turn to them for any health-related questions, to treat our illnesses, and in some cases they are literal lifesavers.

But becoming a doctor also means contributing a great deal of time – at least 10 years – for medical school and residency, all the while absorbing lessons, knowledge and skills to improve oneself. So it’s perfectly normal for students of medical school to feel inadequate or exhausted at times, as mentioned in the “Meet and Greet: Sharing Knowledge & Journey to Become a Doctor”.

Hosted by the Tanoto Foundation Alumni Association (PANUTAN), the online event took place on July 31, 2021 and invited six Tanoto Foundation alumni from Indonesia and Singapore to share their journey in becoming doctors. Tanoto Scholar Debora Widawati served as moderator while fellow Tanoto Scholar Monica Agnes Sylvia served as host.

Introduced by Tanoto Foundation’s Global CEO, Dr J. Satrijo Tanudjojo, dr. Ng Choon Ta, Member of the Board of Trustees at Tanoto Foundation, opened the session by giving a keynote speech. dr. Choon Ta is also a Consultant for the Department of Cardiology at the National Heart Centre Singapore and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School.

“Medicine has always been a calling – one that requires dedication and hard work,” he said. “When we graduate from medical school, we start a lifelong journey of service to our patients, and on our mission to advance medical science by finding cures and new care paradigms.”

All six speakers acknowledged the arduous journey to become a doctor, one that required calling, motivation, focus, commitment and dedication. They noted the struggle to balance work and life, and some recommended having other interests as something to look forward to alongside work.

“Medical school is quite demanding: the amount of content we have to do is quite crazy and the speed with which we have to do it is even crazier,” said dr. Shannon Lee, an alumnus of National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine in 2020. “But I think what I learned from it after a while is to not be so afraid of falling behind and learn at our own pace. Better to do it with confidence.”

Fellow 2020 alumnus dr. Summer Zhang Linyi shared the sentiment. “In medical school, I was surprised of how hard it is no matter how much we studied during junior college,” she said. “It’s [also] very hard to balance your life and be who you are and be competent and be a good doctor that you wanted and what the society wants. I feel like one of the things we feel everyday is an impostor syndrome, having the feeling of incompetency and not being who you are despite putting all in the hours you have in your hands.” Nevertheless, she also shared that eventually she found that she was able to adapt and find that balance between work and life.

Stressing the importance of time management in the matter of work and life balance, dr. Surya Atmaja who currently works at a regional public hospital in Jambi credited the soft skill workshops provided by Tanoto Foundation. “Thanks to those, I could manage [my time] smoothly,” he said.

Speakers also recognized the role that Tanoto Foundation played in enriching their journeys in becoming doctors, such as Project Sukacita, the annual community service project for underserved communities in Riau’s Pangkalan Kerinci. Initiated by Tanoto Scholars at Singapore Management University in 2012, the program also saw participants from the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in recent years. Activities include giving guidance to children on how to lead clean and healthy lifestyles as well as health screenings for children and their parents.

“[The project taught us] to analyze the strengths and shortcomings of each member, the importance of effective leadership as well as teamwork,” shared dr. Woo Shi Min, who is currently in pediatric residency program at the National University Hospital in Singapore. “[These] valuable lessons hopefully prepare us for our work situation and in the future as well.”

Working in the area most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the doctors acknowledged how the health crisis has affected their lives. dr. Anton Sony Wibowo, a fellow in the Southern Tohoku General Hospital, Japan, had to leave the country and continue his education online from Indonesia. dr. Summer had the experience of changing personal protective equipment (PPE) up to 30 times a day. There was also the lack of standard of procedure and PPE, especially in the beginning of the pandemic, as shared by dr. Shannon.

When asked about the most rewarding thing about being a doctor, all speakers acknowledged that ultimately it’s about the patients’ lives, especially as they can become part of the patients’ journey in overcoming their illnesses. “Seeing our patients get better and seeing the smiles on their faces is the most rewarding thing,” said dr. Woo Shi Min.

Dr. Marcherly Wardi, who is studying a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist program at the University of Indonesia, said that she can fulfill her passion of dedicating her life to helping others by being a doctor. While dr. Anton said that doctors attend to human needs, which are quite unique. “There are ethical and cultural matters, which set the profession apart from others,” he said.

To aspiring doctors, dr. Ng Choon Ta shared his words of wisdom, “I wish to assure you that you are not alone in this journey. The career can be demanding, and there are times that one may feel like giving up. You have the privilege as well as the opportunity to tap on our network of healthcare and medical professionals across the Tanoto Foundation. More importantly, we hope that via the sharing of experiences, we will gain insights which can positively impact our lives and those around us.”

Tanoto Foundation donated 200 tons of rice to help people in West Java who have seen their livelihoods disrupted by the pandemic.

The donation was handed over symbolically by External Affairs Director at Tanoto Foundation, Ari Gudadi, to the representative of West Java Police, Sr. Comr. M. Syahduddi, and the Commander of the Military Area Command (Pangdam) III/Siliwangi, Maj. Gen. TNI Nugroho Budi Wiryanto.

(From left to right, External Affairs Director at Tanoto Foundation, Ari Gudadi, and the representative of West Java Police, Sr. Comr. M. Syahduddi)

Sr. Comr. M. Syahduddi stated that the implementation of restrictions in West Java, known as the PPKM Darurat, had been successful in reducing the transmission of Covid-19 in the province, as evidenced in the decreasing number of confirmed cases and bed occupancy rate. According to Syahduddi, the rice donation from Tanoto Foundation will further support the implementation of PPKM Darurat.

“However, we are also balancing this [restrictions] with donations from West Java Police and other police stations under our jurisdiction, and so far, this has been effective in supporting the implementation of PPKM Darurat. Hence, I would like to express my upmost gratitude to Tanoto Foundation for this rice donation,” said Sr. Comr. Syahduddi.

Pangdam III/Siliwangi, Maj. Gen. TNI Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, emphasized that the pandemic had been declared as a non-natural disaster, and that it could not be resolved by one institution alone.

(From left to right, External Affairs Director at Tanoto Foundation, Ari Gudadi, and Pangdam III/Siliwangi, Maj. Gen. TNI Nugroho Budi Wiryanto)

“Once again, I would like to thank Tanoto Foundation for this donation. Rice is a staple food among our people. We would like to make sure that it is distributed rightly to poor people and those who are affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Maj. Gen. Nugroho.

Tanoto Foundation is committed to supporting the government of Indonesia in the fight against Covid-19, from providing oxygen to hospitals and patients to donating basic staples. Stay safe and let’s do what we can so we can all get through this together.