Irian Jaya 'needs more schools, hospitals'

JAKARTA (JP): Irian Jaya badly needs more education and health facilities to help the underdeveloped territory catch up with other provinces, a politician and a church minister said yesterday.

Sabam Sirait, a former member of the House of Representatives for the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and Karel Phil Erari, a Protestant minister, agreed that health and education were the most neglected aspects in the development of Irian Jaya.

"The state budget allocated for education has never reached 10 percent" (of the national education budget) "in the last 30 years of the country's development," Sabam told a discussion on development in Irian Jaya held in Jakarta.

Poor terms and conditions, and the hardship of living in isolated regions make few teachers interested in dedicating themselves to education in Irian Jaya, he said.

"There must be enough incentives to make teaching in Irian Jaya a rewarding and enjoyable career", he added.

"The education and health budget should be at least doubled", he told around 30 participants of yesterday's discussion, co- organized by Perkusi discussion club and Irian Jaya youths association.

Erari, who also addressed the discussion, said he agreed with Sabam. He said Irian Jaya needed a Christian university, more elementary and high schools and vocational training centers.

To promote public health, the church plans to establish a Christian hospital and is looking into which regions are most in need of community health centers, Erari added.

Public health problems in Irian Jaya came into the spotlight last year when tens of thousands of indigenous people, living mostly in remote villages, suffered from disease and food shortages during last year's prolonged drought. Over 600 people reportedly died in the regencies of Jayawijaya, Merauke, Puncak Jaya and Mimika.

Yesterday, Antara reported that five people had died in a new outbreak of diarrhea in Merauke. Ninety-nine people are being treated in Amagatsu village, Merauke, where at least 82 people are thought to have died from the same disease last year.

The sick are being treated by paramedics, dispatched by the local health office in Merauke, at houses in the village, Antara said.

Chief of the Merauke health office, Basri, told the news agency that this latest outbreak began early this month. There is no community health center in the village, he said. (aan)