Free harelip medical operation for local kids from Caltex
Free harelip medical operation for local kids from Caltex
Rahmat was 12 and Juniati was 11. Like the other kids at their village of Aur Sati in Tambang district of Bangkinang, Riau, the two played cheerfully in the neighborhood.
So did Kurniati, 7, who lives in a small town of Kuala Enok, Indragiri Hilir, Riau.
But their parents could not hide their sorrow eyes towards their happy-looking children, who "differ" from other kids because of their harelips. These destitute parents never expressed their grim feeling through words, nor attitude. They did not even complained it to God.
They, however, admitted that their heart were often touched with the situation.
"The saddest part was when I wanted to breast-feed her," recalled Kurniati's mother, Darlis.
But again, Darlis and many other women with cleft lip kids simply kept the sad mood deep into their heart with one desperate hope: that somebody would come one day to help her beloved girl.
Rahmat's mother, Siti Saodah, said that she and husband indeed wanted to bring her son to hospital for medical operation. "But I couldn't afford it for financial reason." she said.
After 12 years of hoping and praying, Saodah's only dream came true late last month thanks to a surgery performed by a medical team sponsored by PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, or CPI.
"I'm very delighted," she commented shortly after the successful operation on her son's harelip.
Rahmat, Juniati and many other villagers suffering from the harelip underwent similar free medical operation, which is carries out regularly under CPI community development program.
The Tambang area is still witnessing a number of locals waiting to have same free medical operation.
Kurniati and several others, including nine-month old boy Cipta Nugraha, underwent such CPI-sponsored medical operation.
"Before the surgery, all meal and drink feeding to Cipta's mouth going out again through his nose," recalled his grandmother, Nursiah.
In the period of 1995 to 2000 alone, CPI has treated 227 harelip patients through its regular free mass medicating services conducted in areas located near its operation fields in Central Sumatra. In any of its medical services, the team is led by a senior doctor from University of Indonesia or leading hospitals in Jakarta.
A world giant oil company operates in Indonesia under a production sharing contract to state oil firm Pertamina, CPI currently employs approximately 5,800 people with 200 of it based in Jakarta headquarters while the rest in its Central Sumatran operating area, where it explores for and produces oil and natural gas from more than a hundred oil fields, including the world-famous Minas and Duri fields.
CPI today produces over 700,000 barrels of oil per day which represents half of the country's total oil output.
In addition to operating those suffering from harelip, CPI -- together with Riau Coordinating Body for Social Welfare, or BK3S, through Pekanbaru Tryni Foundation -- also provides expenses for local children suffering from other diseases. Some of them even had to be flown to Jakarta for treatment.
Nelda Srinopita, 9, who had a malignant tumor, and Miftahul Hasanah, 6, who was born with no posterior opening at her anus, underwent medical operation at Harapan Kita Hospital in Jakarta in November last year.
CPI president Humayunbosha said the free medical services is just part of the company's community development programs that is proudly and sincerely presented by CPI to help both the public -- living in and outside Riau -- and the government.
"The community development has become CPI's tradition and value which we all hope could be everlasting with programs focusing on targets that are urgently and really needed by the people," Humayunbosha said.
Among the three categories in CPI's community development program, namely education, health and welfare increase -- the company has decided to focus more on the latest issue for the next couple of years.
"But the other two categories also have to be carried out in effective ways," he said.
"With the significant increase in the local government's revenue in line with the implementation of the autonomy regulation, we have to communicate our community development program further to the local administration and leading figures to help reduce any possibilities of overlapping (with their programs," Humayunbosha said.