Patients Treated in Tents After Indonesian Hospital Damaged by Earthquake

A magnitude‑6.5 earthquake that struck the eastern Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara on Thursday caused extensive damage to the provincial hospital in Kupang, forcing medical staff to relocate patients to temporary tents set up outside the damaged building. The quake, which began at 2:14 p.m. local time, produced widespread structural damage, rendering the main operating theatres and emergency wards unusable. Over 180 patients, many with fractures and head injuries, were moved to a makeshift treatment area that includes several plastic‑sheeted tents and portable medical equipment supplied by the provincial health department and local volunteers.

The tents have been equipped with basic triage facilities, intravenous lines, and a small pharmacy to manage pain and infection. Doctors and nurses are working in shifts to provide continuous care, while ambulance crews ferry patients to the nearest fully operational hospital in the capital city of Kupang, which is currently operating at full capacity. The Indonesian Ministry of Health has dispatched additional medical teams and supplies to the site, and international aid agencies have pledged to support the reconstruction of the damaged facilities.

Officials say the temporary arrangement will remain in place until the hospital can be repaired or a new facility can be erected. The Ministry has announced a plan to rebuild the damaged wards with reinforced structures to better withstand future seismic events. In the meantime, the focus remains on stabilizing patients and preventing complications while the broader recovery effort continues.