New approach must be adopted for healthier largest cities

New approach must be adopted for healthier largest cities

JAKARTA (JP): Experts say a huge budget is not always
necessary to overcome health problems in large cities. They say
maximizing the potential of local resources could lead to
healthier cities.

The empowerment of local resources is instrumental in solving
community health problems, as well as improving the local's
economic condition, said Dr. Alex Papilaya of the University of
Indonesia at the opening of the Jakarta Initiative seminar and
workshop on Problem Solving for Better Health (PSBH) on Thursday.

PSBH emphasizes problem solving, networking and plans of
action. The program has paid benefits in large cities in a number
of countries, including Ghana, Poland and Bulgaria.

A new approach is needed to city projects, including
encouraging and including locals in the development of their
cities, Papilaya said.

The director of the Center for Family Welfare at the
university underlined the need for cooperation between the
private sector and the government in dealing with health
problems. By doing so, he said, effective and low budget
solutions to health problems could be realized.

Jakarta is struggling with a multitude of urban problems,
including poor sanitation, lack of a clean water supply, poor
waste treatment, high maternal and infant mortality rates, drug
abuse and a lack of awareness of a healthier concept in
developing the city.

The United States-based Dreyfus Health Foundation, together
with the University of Indonesia and the Jakarta administration,
is launching a health-improvement and self-help project in East
Jakarta's Duren Sawit district. The foundation said the approach
to be used in the project had been successfully implemented in 23
countries.

The district was selected because of its sociometric
similarity with five cities where the project will eventually be
launched. These five cities are Bandarlampung, Balikpapan,
Cianjur, Pekalongan and Malang.

Minister of Health F.A. Moeloek said at the opening of the
workshop locals should take a greater initiative in establishing
a healthy environment and nurturing healthy habits, which in turn
would positively impact education and help generate income.

Dr. William Sawyer of the Dreyfus Health Foundation
complimented the success of the government's health program known
as Posyandu, or the rural integrated health service. The program
reaches remote areas throughout the country.

"I used to invite my foreign guests to visit Posyandu. It is a
good program because it is well received by locals," he said.

The leader of Aspirations for a Healthy City Forum for Duren
Sawit district, Imam Soedjono, told The Jakarta Post he welcomed
the concept of a healthy city and the empowerment of local
resources to solve community problems.

"However, such an idea is difficult to implement because each
city has its own unique characteristics and problems which need
as unique an approach to deal with," he said.

Another speaker at the seminar, Barry Smith, the director of
the Dreyfus Health Foundation, said the key concepts of PSBH were
innovation, simplicity, clearness, process of action, role models
and respect for human dignity.

Prior to the Duren Sawit project, the Dreyfus Foundation under
the Jakarta Initiative worked on more than 190 projects
throughout Indonesia. More than 90 of the projects have been
completed.

Meanwhile, an environmentalist who works in the Jakarta
administration underlined the need for an ecologically
sustainable concept in city development.

He said Indonesia's reliance on oil resources had polluted its
large cities and made Jakarta the second-most polluted city in
the world after Bangkok, inflicting serious respiratory problems
among its citizens, particularly schoolchildren. (06)