Leaders in Nusa Penida are calling for the creation of a floating ambulance service to help provide adequate care for tourists and residents in their time of need.
At present there is no major hospital on Bali’s outlying islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. While there are modest clinics on the islands, in the case of emergency patients must be transferred to main island Bali by boat or by MediVac flight.
Nyoman Suwirta, a House of Representative Member for Bali, has told the media that he sees an urgent need for the rapid development of maritime tourism infrastructure in Nusa Penida.
The island currently sees thousands of visitors every day, and every month, there are reports of tourists becoming ill or injured during their trips.
With limited health infrastructure and medical support in Nusa Penida, those in need of healthcare often have to make time-consuming, costly, and uncomfortable return journeys to the main island of Bali.
Suwirta wants to see funds generated by the snorkeling and marine tourism tax redistributed to help level up the tourism infrastructure on the island, including medical care.
He told reporters “I dare to say that there must be a service at sea, whether it is a kind of big sea ambulance, a big boat passing by at sea, so there there is a service we can provide.”
There are many day-to-day risks associated with simply visiting Nusa Penida, whether that be simply trips and falls, the risk of drowning when swimming in the ocean, or simply falling ill from pre-existing medical conditions.
Suwirta is highly concerned that as snorkelling and diving tour operators offer more and more trips in the region, that the risk of illness and injury also increased.
Suwirta explained that Nusa Penida couldn’t only rely on the funds generated from the marine tourism tax to help fund urgent infrastructure developments across the island.
He added, “We are not only pursuing income, but the impact of that income, especially retribution, there must be a service so that sea ambulances are not only in Nusa Penida.”
He added that much more can be done, noting “There must be come kind of floating hospital, so that diving and snorkelling is comfortable.”
The need for improved safety protocols within the Nusa Penida tourism sector has been a topic of conversation amongst leaders, tourism business owners and frequent visitors to the island for months.
Although Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Lembongan can be supported by Bali’s Disaster Management Agency and Bali’s Search and Rescue Units in the event of emergency, further risk management solutions must be available throughout Klungkung Regency.
On Wednesday, 25th September, a Chinese tourist lost their life while snorkeling at the world-famous Manta Point.
A post-mortem is underway on 52-year-old WS, who was found floating in the water 10 minutes after jumping from the boat.
While the tour operator and fellow snorkelers provided first aid, once back on land and transferred to Nusa Medical Clinic, doctors were unable to find a pulse.
The incident has sparked complaints amongst Nusa Penida residents and tourism business owners who say that more needs to be done to keep tourists safe in the area.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Klungkung Police Chief AKBP Alfons Letsoin led a ‘Friday Chat’ in Batununggul Village where concerned residents could come to discuss solutions moving forward. Klungkung Police are expected to take strategic steps to prevent accidents in Nusa Penida.
AKBP Letsoin emphasized that he and his teams will investigate the status of the tour providers’ permits and licenses.
Over the last few months, leaders have made an effort to improve safety at Nusa Penida’s top attractions on land but there is a long way to go.
In August, local politician Nyoman Mujana asked the Klungkung Regency leadership during an annual budget meeting what they had done to improve public safety in the tourism hotspot.
He asked, “Our question is the same as the previous year: to what extent has the regional government made efforts to anticipate accidents and prevent violations from tourism actors in Nusa Penida early? What are the forms of security, security standards, regulations, and monitoring?”
In response, the Acting Regent of Klungkung, Nyoman Jendrika, said that the local government must strengthen ties with business operators and land owners to ensure clear communication and better partnerships to overcome this longstanding issue.
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