Many health centers remain unaware of high alert
Many health centers remain unaware of high alert
Rendi A. Witular
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
The Jakarta Health Agency has declared a high alert for the
possible outbreak of diarrhea and dengue fever in flood-prone
areas, but several public health centers - located in some of the
worst affected areas - remain unaware of the warning.
The high alert procedure says each health center requires the
attendance of doctors 24 hours a day. Unfortunately, not all
centers have doctors on standby round the clock.
A public health center in Grogol Petamburan district, West
Jakarta, -- located in the flood-prone subdistrict of Wijaya
Kusuma -- only had three paramedics on duty when visited by The
Jakarta Post on Saturday.
The center, responsible for seven high-risk locations in the
district, actually has five doctors, but all of them were off-
duty over the weekend.
One of the paramedics, Ecep, claimed the center had not
received any warning from the agency of a possible outbreak of
diarrhea or dengue fever. As a result, there were no doctors on
standby.
"We haven't received any announcement. But we have our own 24-
hour emergency unit. Doctors are usually available during working
days from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. They are supposed to return to the
center later at night from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. But at weekends or
holidays, they only visit the center at night," he said.
"However, most doctors skip the night and weekend shifts."
Ecep added that the center had enough medicine for possible
patients, if there was an outbreak in the neighborhood. However,
he failed to provide a figure.
According to one resident, Ajip, flooding in the area usually
raises the water level to the 30-centimeter mark.
Despite the center's unawareness of the outbreak, Ajip said he
had received practical courses from the center on the prevention
of diarrhea and dengue fever.
A similar situation was found at the Palmerah public health
center, West Jakarta, which oversees four areas prone to
flooding.
None of the eight doctors were seen on duty at the center,
which has a 24-hour emergency unit and two ambulances, although
the City Health Agency has named West Jakarta the most flood-
prone area.
An on-duty midwife, Jujuk, said the only available doctor had
just gone out for lunch.
On the contrary, several public health centers in the flood-
prone area of Tebet, South Jakarta, and Jatinegara, East Jakarta,
have been on the alert since the announcement in December last
year.
Dr. Budi Rahardjo -- who was on duty at Tebet health center on
Saturday -- said none of the 22 doctors, 15 of which are general
practitioners and seven are in charge of the emergency unit, were
allowed to leave the center due to the high-alert status.
He said that, besides being equipped with a storage room for
medicine, the center also has a motorboat to help evacuate flood
victims.
The Tebet health center, which was set up in 1985 as an
example of a well-managed public health center, was responsible
for at least eight high-risk locations.
Jakarta Health Agency announced on Friday that 1.5 million
people living in flood-prone areas are at high risk of diarrhea
and dengue fever. It has also imposed the high alert status of
Siaga I (first alert).