University doctors join relief efforts in West Timor
University doctors join relief efforts in West Timor
JAKARTA (JP): Diseases caused by undernourishment and a lack of sanitary conditions have swept through East Timor's refugee camps in West Timor, a media report says.
Data released by Perdhaki, a nonprofit organization founded by the Atambua diocese to assist East Timorese refugees with health care, revealed that 2,811 refugees have respiratory infections, 1,896 have malaria and 1,023 have gastric diseases, the news agency Antara reported.
Sari Kendar, a Unicef representative in Atambua who cooperates with Perdhaki, said the world body was paying special attention to deadly malaria. She said Unicef had not expected malaria to strike.
"The number of medical doctors are inadequate and the increasing incidences of malaria were unmonitored," she said while addressing a meeting with 12 doctors and 24 nurses to be stationed in Belu and in regencies of north central Timor on Saturday.
The medical personnel are under contract to serve until May.
"Please keep records on the prevalence of diseases affecting mothers and children so that we can monitor development in the future," she said.
West Timor is still accommodating an estimated 110,000 East Timorese refugees, mostly in areas bordering East Timor. They fled their homes in the wake of riots following the announcement of the Aug. 30 ballot. Tens of thousands have been repatriated under UN supervision.
Perdhaki chief Alexander Kobesi reported that the absence of medical doctors over the past month in Atambua had aggravated the health problems of refugees.
Unicef and Perdhaki have established 28 health posts in Belu and regencies in north central Timor.
"Over the past two months, the posts were handled by only one doctor and we are happy that more medical personnel have arrived," he said.
The 12 doctors are from major universities in Java, such as the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Atma Jaya University in Jakarta and Diponegoro University in Semarang. The 24 nurses are from West Timor.
They are free to stay with local residents near the health posts, in nearby churches or monasteries as long as they are available 24 hours a day.
The doctors and nurses also campaign for health for the refugees. (pan)