RI handles haze health problems
RI handles haze health problems
JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health and the Indonesian
Pulmonologists Association have started measures to deal with
health problems affecting some 240,000 people in haze-blanketed
regions, an official said.
Minister of Health Sujudi pointed out yesterday the government
has realized the magnitude of health problems caused by months of
foul air and haze in twelve provinces affected by widespread
forest fires, and has taken steps accordingly. Included in the
government actions were public education on the importance of
wearing protective masks and of seeking medical attention.
"For instance, the public needed to be told they.. can use wet
handkerchiefs or towels (as masks), which are effective enough,"
Sujudi said after opening the second seminar on "proactive
hospitals".
Through various clinics, the ministry has been monitoring the
health condition of the worst affected areas, such as South
Sumatra and Central Kalimantan. Tests have been conducted on
residents who have a history of asthma, TB and other respiratory
infections.
The government expected to maintain the monitoring for a year
in order to ascertain the long-term ill effects of the haze.
In September, the ministry and the Kimia Farma pharmaceutical
company sent 400,000 protective masks to affected areas. It also
distributed 21,000 masks donated by the United Nations Children's
Fund (Unicef). The regions that received the masks were West
Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central
Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.
The ministry requested from the government a budget of
approximately Rp 1 billion (US$285,700) for its program to fight
the effects of the haze.
In its surveillance of air quality in eleven provinces, the
ministry found South Sumatra as having been worst hit, followed
by Central Kalimantan and West Sumatra.
According to the ministry's estimate, some 20,000 people in
each of the 12 provinces it monitored (the above eight provinces
plus North Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jakarta and another which the
ministry did not name) were affected by haze-related respiratory
problems.
Only half of all those people sought medical attention, the
ministry said.
The ministry also estimated about 5,000 people in each of the
provinces were suffering from eye irritation caused by the smoke,
and again only half of them sought treatment.
The seminar on "proactive hospitals" that Sujudi opened
yesterday was meant to prepare doctors and hospitals for various
demographic changes that may bring health problems different from
those existing now.
Some 300 hospital managers and health experts are
participating in the two-day seminar which will also discuss the
concept of telemedicine.
Telemedicine provides the opportunity for doctors in urban
centers to use sophisticated telecommunications to consult with
colleagues in remote areas regarding difficult medical cases.
Plans are being made to expand the network to noted specialists
in foreign countries such as Australia and Texas in the United
States.
Sujudi said telemedicine would be applied in 1999, and three
hospitals have already been considered as prepared for the
program. They are Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya, East Java,
Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, West Java, and Dr. Wahidin
Hospital in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi. (swe/09)