No Need to Suffer in Silence

BIMC Hospital Provides Practical Tips on What to Do if You Need Medical Attention in Bali During Nyepi Holiday.

Bali News: No Need to Suffer in Silence

(2/26/2011) The Balinese New Year, Nyepi will fall on Saturday, March 5, 2011. In keeping with tradition and strict social norms in force in Bali, the entire island will descend into absolute silence and quietude for 24 hours from 6:00 am on Saturday, March 5, 2010 until 6:00 am the following morning.

All activity in comes to an absolute halt during this period. The airport and all seaports close. No vehicles are allowed to travel the island's roads. All broadcasts, including cable and satellite transmissions, are cut off. Businesses, with the exception of emergency services, are closed while local residences are expected to go dark and silent over the 24-hour hiatus.

Emergency services such as police, fire and hospitals remain in operation, but with staff of these institution confined to their place of employment for the entire period. Ambulances carrying the ill or injured are exempted from the prohibition on travel absolutely enforced on all other vehicular traffic.

BIMC Hospital in Bali will be open and staffed throughout the Nyepi period with doctors, nurses, administration staff and ambulance drivers.

Guests staying at hotels and villas requiring medical attention on Nyepi Day should first check with the hotel/villa staff for the availability of hotel-based transportation to BIMC Hospital. While BIMC Hospital's ambulances and drivers will be on standby to assist in emergency calls, patients are recommended to first contact their local banjar and come directly to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Most banjars are cooperative in an emergency situation. Should patients have any doubt about this, they can contact their local Klian Dinas to ensure the local volunteer citizen's brigade (Pecalang) will allow them free passage, should an emergency need arise.

Source : Bali Discovery