Jakarta, Oct. 19 -- Fifteen regional general hospitals (RSUDs) in Indonesia's underdeveloped regions have been upgraded and are ready to operate, a senior health official announced on Sunday.

"They are focused on providing basic specialist services," said Azhar Jaya, Director General of Advanced Healthcare at the Ministry of Health.

He said the upgraded hospitals reflect the government's commitment to strengthening healthcare services in remote, border, and island areas.

Each hospital will be staffed with at least seven specialists - in internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, anesthesiology, clinical pathology, and radiology.

Jaya said the deployment of specialist personnel will be carried out in stages, inc...