Jakarta. Hospitals across Indonesia are gearing up to support failed legislative candidates suffering from stress due to their defeat in the 2024 elections. The electoral process, especially for unsuccessful candidates who have invested significant amounts of money, can induce severe stress.

In Jakarta, Taman Sari Regional General Hospital (RSUD Taman Sari) is organizing free stress tests on Feb. 20 for failed legislative candidates, campaign team members, election organizers, political supporters, and the wider public experiencing stress during the 2024 elections.

Dr Agus Ariyanto Haryoso, the director of the hospital, said 50 people have already registered out of the allotted 100 slots. "Among the 50, five are campaign team members," Agus said on Friday.

Taman Sari Hospital has been entrusted by the Jakarta Provincial Health Office to oversee the physical and mental health of 2024 election participants. The free stress test service is a collaboration between RSUD Taman Sari, Taman Sari Community Health Center, and Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital.

According to Agus, the stress test consists of two sessions. The first session includes counseling by clinical psychologists from Taman Sari Sub-district Community Health Center and psychiatrists from Taman Sari Hospital, addressing mild mental disorders. The second session involves checking stress indicators using the heart rate variability (HRV) test.

He said people should not be afraid or embarrassed to get checked if they show symptoms of mild mental disorders, such as difficulty sleeping, anxiety, mood swings, and more. This is essential to prevent more severe issues that may require specialized treatment.

Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital (RSMM) in Bogor, West Java, a central mental health hospital owned by the Health Ministry, is taking anticipatory steps by offering healing and remote treatment services (telemedicine) for legislative candidates and their families.

RSMM plans to collaborate with all hospitals in Indonesia to collect data on legislative candidates experiencing mental health disorders in the upcoming 2024 elections. This step is taken to provide a clearer picture of the phenomenon of candidates experiencing mental health issues.

In another region, RSUD Hajja Andi Depu Polewali in Polewali Mandar Regency, West Sulawesi, is ready to provide psychological consultations for legislative candidates experiencing mental health issues due to failure in the 2024 elections. The hospital has two mental health specialists prepared to handle patients with mental health disorders after failing to secure seats in the democratic process.

RSUD Soetrasno Rembang in Central Java is preparing a dedicated space for the treatment of mental health patients, specifically for legislative candidates who did not get elected in the 2024 elections. Apart from adding 10 ward rooms, four mental health specialists are being prepared.