Two field hospitals in Flores treat fracture patients after August quake

Labuan Bajo — Indonesia’s Health Ministry has set up two field hospitals in Flores to keep surgical care running after the August earthquake, with fractures among the most common injuries, according to ministry statements and local reports.

The ministry said the temporary facilities are operating at Ruteng in Manggarai and Aeramo in Nagekeo, and that surgery has already been carried out there for quake victims, according to the ministry and Radio Republik Indonesia. The ministry also said the field hospitals were intended to support damaged referral hospitals and health centres that could no longer function normally after the disaster.

Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Indonesia’s health minister, said fracture and trauma cases were widespread after the quake, and that emergency medical teams were being deployed to help patients needing further treatment, according to Tempo and the ministry. In one ministry update, officials said hundreds of health workers had been mobilised to support services across affected parts of East Nusa Tenggara.

Pressure on hospitals and clinics

Reports from local media and the ministry described heavy pressure on routine health services in Manggarai and neighbouring districts. Patients were being treated in emergency tents or outside damaged buildings, while some clinics and hospitals continued to operate only in limited form.

BBC News Indonesia reported that several health facilities on Flores had been damaged and that medical teams were working from temporary shelters. It also said some communities were struggling with access to medicines and that patients in more remote areas were being reached by teams from regional hospitals.

Radio Republik Indonesia reported that the two field hospitals in Ruteng and Aeramo had begun operations and were already performing surgery, while patients from damaged health centres could be referred there for further care. Tempo likewise said the ministry was building temporary surgical capacity at the two sites to keep treatment going after the quake.

Wider disaster response

The ministry’s disaster-response updates were consistent with broader reports that the earthquake badly affected health infrastructure across Flores, especially in Manggarai and Nagekeo. Relief efforts included emergency medical deployment and the use of temporary facilities to replace unsafe hospital space.

The article claimed the quake happened on 20 August 2026, but the sourced reports place the main earthquake in mid-August and describe the field hospitals as operating by 18–20 August. The sourced reports also show that the two temporary hospitals were in Ruteng and Aeramo, not “Ruteng Hospital” and “Aeramo Hospital” as standalone locations in the original draft.

Health officials and local outlets also said fractures were one of the main categories of injury treated after the quake. In addition to trauma care, the response focused on emergency surgery, referrals, and keeping primary care running where roads, buildings and supply lines had been disrupted.

Sources

• Ministry of Health (Indonesia)
• Radio Republik Indonesia
• Tempo
• BBC News Indonesia