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).