'Health reform more urgent than aid'<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): An expert has called for bureaucratic reform
\nin the health sector, describing the campaign as more urgent than
\nsoliciting financial assistance.<\/p>\n
Terence Hull, the director of the Graduate Studies in
\nDemography, Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian
\nNational University, said reform of the bureaucracy was already a
\nproblem even before the onset of the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
Speaking on the sidelines of the conference of the Asia-
\nPacific Social Sciences and Medicine attended by 13 countries,
\nHull cited several areas for improvements including distribution
\nof medicines.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the widespread concern that medicine and food
\nsupplies here would run out in January or February, which he
\nbelieved was not to be. However, \"the existing supplies are not
\nbeing distributed well because of inefficient government
\nbureaucracy,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He described the problem as a \"chronic crisis\" as it had been
\nthe situation for dozens of years before the onset of the
\neconomic crisis. \"This chronic crisis must be subject to reform,
\nthe public organizations must be reformed so they become more
\nefficient,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out how 60 percent of the deaths of women in natal
\nlabor were caused by bleeding. \"This happened not because there's
\nno supply in the blood banks but because of inefficient service
\nin public health service institutions,\" he said. \"This is so
\nsad.\" He blamed the situation on, among other things, the poor
\nwages of civil servants. He cited the famine besetting Alor, East
\nNusa Tenggara, 20 years ago, when there was no economic crisis.<\/p>\n
The conference started on Monday and will end on Friday.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Charles Surjadi and Hendra Budiman from Atma Jaya
\nCatholic University, revealed the finding of their study that
\nwomen suffer three times more ailments than their husbands.<\/p>\n
The study was conducted in West Jakarta involving 970
\nhouseholds. The ailments of the married women were identified as
\nmental stress (40.8 percent), weight problems (34.2 percent),
\nheart disease (25 percent), high cholesterol (10 percent),
\nhypertension (7.6 percent), and diabetes (2.7 percent).<\/p>\n
Separately in Jakarta, a medical lecturer has called on the
\nauthorities to introduce an integrated system for all public
\nhealth centers to cut down the infant mortality rate.<\/p>\n
Defending her doctoral dissertation in public health before
\nthe senate of University of Indonesia professors here Wednesday,
\nMyrnawati, a lecturer at the Medical School of the private Yarsi
\nUniversity, said the best approach amid the current devastating
\nmonetary crisis is integrated management of childhood illnesses.<\/p>\n
Myrnawati said infant mortality in Indonesia has significantly
\ndropped but compared to other Southeast Asian countries it is
\nstill high. The government plans to reduce the mortality rate
\nnext year from 58 to 50 per 1,000 live births and the mortality
\nrate of under-five-year olds from 81 to 66 per 1,000 live births.<\/p>\n
The lecturer, who based her suggestion on the results of years
\nof research in the West Java regency of Cianjur, said the infant
\nmortality rate in West Java is still one of Indonesia's highest.<\/p>\n
\"It is No. 24 among 27 Indonesian provinces,\" she said.
\nCompared to mortality rates in Java or Western Indonesia alone,
\nWest Java is worse off,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She added that since 20 percent of Indonesians live in the
\nprovince the condition there must have a great negative impact on
\nthe people in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
She said according to data at the West Java Bureau of
\nStatistics in health care, Cianjur, which is located less than
\n300 km southeast of Jakarta, is one of the four worst regencies
\nin West Java with 100.05 deaths per 1,000 live births.<\/p>\n
Myrnawati conducted her research at 22 public health centers
\nwhich are scattered in 12 districts of Cianjur, where the infant
\nmortality rate is still high.<\/p>\n
She said that during her research she also tried to introduce
\nthe system called Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses
\nwith some adaptations in certain areas.<\/p>\n
The system proved that less than five percent of the infant
\npatients brought to the health centers suffered from one symptom.
\nThe rest had more than five symptoms. The integrated system
\nresulted in the healing of the children's illnesses, she said.<\/p>\n
In her research, Myrnawati also discovered that 50 percent of
\nbabies and those under five years old had never enjoyed the
\nfacilities offered by public health centers and the parents of 30
\npercent of them did not try to seek them, believing that \"their
\ninfants' conditions were too critical for treatment.\" (44\/tis)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/health-reform-more-urgent-than-aid-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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