Today in Bali I dedicated three key elements of an Australian Government assistance package to the Bali health system that will provide a practical living memorial to Australian victims of the tragedy one year ago. The assistance measures reflect the desire of many Australians to improve medical facilities for the Balinese people and also recognise the impact of the atrocity on Indonesia.
I unveiled a plaque at the 12 October Australia Memorial Centre – a new intensive care and burns centre – at the Sanglah Hospital. This new facility is the centrepiece of Australian Government assistance worth $4.5 million for upgrades to the hospital. Construction of the new facility began in July and is scheduled for completion by March 2004. Sanglah is Bali's largest hospital and received by far the majority of the victims last October.
Whilst at the hospital I was delighted to present scholarships to the six initial recipients of the Australia-Bali Memorial Health and Medical Scholarship programme. Worth $3 million and to be offered over five years, the scholarships will cover six masters degree awards per year for three years and up to 15 short courses per year for five years. The programme has been designed to address the human resource development needs of the Bali health system.
I also unveiled a foundation stone and plaque at the site of the new Australia-Bali Memorial Eye Centre. This gift to the Bali Provincial Department of Health will be constructed and equipped at a cost of $3 million. There is a high incidence of people with operable blindness in Bali. The eye centre will enable the expansion of sight restoration services and blindness prevention programmes, especially for the poor.