Bali Deploys Emergency Medical Teams to Quake-Hit NTT
Bali’s provincial health office has deployed emergency medical teams and medical logistics to Sikka and Nagekeo in East Nusa Tenggara following the 15 August 2026 Flores earthquake, working alongside the national Health Crisis Center and…
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· Event date: · 3 min read
Denpasar — Bali’s provincial health office has deployed emergency medical teams and logistical support to earthquake-hit areas in East Nusa Tenggara, with personnel sent to Sikka and Nagekeo in mid-August following the magnitude 7.7 quake that struck Flores on 15 August 2026, according to local media and the Ministry of Health.
The deployment was carried out through the Regional Bali Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Type 1 and Tenaga Cadangan Kesehatan (reserve health workers), coordinated by the Bali Health Office and the national Health Crisis Center, a senior Bali health official told Balipost.com.
According to Balipost.com, Bali began sending reserve EMT Type 1 personnel on 16 August 2026 to Sikka Regency. The first team consisted of one general practitioner, two nurses, one pharmacist and one logistics worker. On 17 August, two additional logistics workers were dispatched to Maumere, the capital of Sikka, to support field operations.
Balipost.com further reported that a separate EMT team affiliated with the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hospital Association (Persatuan Rumah Sakit Seluruh Indonesia, PERSI) departed on 18 August 2026 for Nagekeo Regency. That team comprised one general practitioner, one anesthesiologist and two nurses.
Health services and logistics
The Bali EMT contingent worked alongside the national Health Crisis Center, which had activated emergency coordination mechanisms and deployed mobile teams to NTT, according to the Ministry of Health. Balipost.com reported that the Bali EMT and the Health Crisis Center provided medical services at a health post on Palue Island in Sikka Regency on 17 August 2026.
Balipost.com detailed that the initial shipment from Bali to support operations in NTT included field-hospital tents, emergency medical kits, oxygen concentrators, large quantities of disposable gloves and surgical masks, and packages of essential medicines. These supplies were sent to back up health facilities strained by the surge in casualties and displaced residents.
Additional logistics later included communications equipment such as handheld radios to improve coordination among medical teams and local health authorities, Balipost.com reported.
Separately, the Ministry of Health stated that it had deployed field hospitals equipped for surgery and Emergency Medical Teams to Nagekeo and Manggarai, and mobilised crisis management teams and EMTs to Sikka and Ende to reinforce medical services in the worst-affected districts.
Wider health impact in NTT
The Ministry of Health and national media reported that the 15 August earthquake and its aftermath damaged multiple hospitals and community health centres across several regencies, forcing authorities to move services into temporary structures and field hospitals. In Nagekeo and surrounding areas, hospital operations were partially shifted to inflatable-tent facilities to ensure safe surgical care amid aftershocks.
National health authorities also reported a large deployment of medical personnel to NTT. The Ministry of Health said it mobilised hundreds of health workers and reserve health personnel to support local services in affected regencies including Sikka and Nagekeo, while emergency status and staffing for NTT’s post-quake health response were extended into September 2026.
Local and national outlets noted that respiratory infections and other illnesses have become prevalent among displaced communities, underscoring the need for sustained medical presence and logistics including medicines, shelter materials, clean water and sanitation support.
Bali’s health office has indicated that its EMT deployments are part of this broader national health response, with further specialist doctors and logistics to be sent as needs assessments in the field are completed, according to IDN Times and Balipost.com.
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