Government to boost health care in Irian Jaya

Government to boost health care in Irian Jaya

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health will launch an intensive
health care program in Irian Jaya this August in order to improve
community health in Indonesia's easternmost province, which is
below national standard.

The program begins on Tuesday with a three-day polio
immunization campaign and distributing high dosages of vitamin A
to some 292,000 infants below five years of age.

Director General of Communicable Disease Control and
Environmental Health Umar Fahmi said Vitamin A was needed to
prevent pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death among
infants in Indonesia.

"The prevalence of death caused by pneumonia among infants in
Irian Jaya and the eastern provinces is high," Umar announced on
Wednesday.

Umar noted that in eastern provinces, like West Nusa Tenggara
and Irian Jaya, 70 infants out of every 1,000 were less than a
week old when they died from pneumonia, compared to other
provinces where 45 died out of every 1,000.

Pneumonia is also the most common health concern among adults
in Irian Jaya, followed by malaria and diarrhea.

"That's why we are giving infants high dosages of Vitamin A,
so it can restore their body cells," he added.

"As for polio, we're giving immunization to prepare for the
rainy season," he said, adding that the higher the rainfall, the
more likely the humid conditions would help the polio virus
spread.

Some Rp 7.5 billion (US$833,333) has been allocated by the
government and other funding organizations, including Unicef, to
finance the three-day program.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said health conditions in
Irian Jaya were poorer compared to other regions.

There is a lack of qualified human resources and medical
facilities and limited accessibility to health services due to
its difficult natural terrain.

Irian Jaya, which has an area of 421,981 square kilometers, is
three times larger than Java, and has a population of only
2,098,310.

Eighty-five percent of the people there live in rural areas.

According to the Ministry of Health there are only ten
hospitals and 1,034 community health centers throughout the
province.

Ministry officials claim that a follow-up program will be
implemented after the initial phase with the aim of improving
health services, including providing better equipment, medicine
and medical staff.

The ministry also plans to hold a workshop and open a medical
school at Cendrawasih University in Jayapura. (09)