Long before the #COVID19 pandemic started spreading globally, both Papua and West Papua have already been struggling with the health development in their areas. Their vast lands, the unevenly spread population, and lack of access to health facilities have been the main challenges.
To deal with health problems and challenges in Papua, it is necessary to accelerate the development in this field. On the other hand, it takes a major breakthrough that can provide measurable results in a relatively short time and can be directly felt by the community.
Aloysius Glay, The Head of The Health Department in Papua, clearly stated:
“The goal of developing the health sector in Papua is to improve the health status of the Papuan people, which is marked by a decrease in maternal and child mortality. Then the level of pain of the dominant disease decreases. To maximize that program, it is necessary to accelerate the health development.”
The Acceleration Process to Speed Up The Health Development in Papua and West Papua
According to Aloysius, The Governor of Papua, Lukas Enembe, has programmed and run the acceleration process of the health development in Papua and West Papua. He has done so for the past five years of his leadership.
To accelerate the process, here are some things that the governor has been doing so far:
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Setting the KPS and the reference system
KPS stands for Kartu Papua Sehat (Health Cards for Papuans). KPS functions as a support to the JKN (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional or National Health Insurance) program. This program was launched by Lukas Enembe in 2014. With KPS, Papuans and West Papuans can get better and proper health access that they need.
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Setting The First Thousand Days of Life. (1000 HPK or Hari Pertama Kehidupan)
This program aims to help the Papuans gain better and more stable access to work and livelihood. The first thousand days since they start work is the support to get them on their own feet.
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Setting The Aerial and Floating Health Services
The Aerial Health Services is a program run by The Ministry of Health with the local government of Papua and West Papua. This program functions as continuous support for local hospitals, including RSUD Agats in Papua. Since the terrains are in varieties, sending specialists, medicines, and helping with facilities and health tools is possible via air. This setup also supports further health counseling.
While the Aerial health Services are done by flight (helicopter), the Floating Health Services are done by cruise ship. These health services are also part of continuous support for the floating clinics and hospitals in Papua and West Papua. For example, Agats Floating Hospital (RSA Agats).
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Setting The Barefoot Task Force (Satuan Kaki Telanjang)
In Indonesian, the name may sound funny. However, The Barefoot Task Force (or Satuan Kaki Telanjang) really means business. Each member of this team is required to finish their work contract in two years instead of one. That is how long it takes if they wish to extend their contract.
This team is part of the overall health task force for providing health access and services to Papuans and West Papuans all over the island. Many thanks to them, many people can access health services in Papua and West Papua. After all, Aloysius Glay admitted that many people had not received it.
All in all, a fair share of health access to all is what they have been working on to accomplish.
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Supporting the BOK (Bantuan Operasional Kesehatan or The Health Operational Assistance) for the health management
According to the Decree of the Minister of Health of Indonesian Republic Number 11/2015, BOK (Bantuan Operasional Kesehatan) or The Health Operational Assistance is the Ministry of Health’s State Budget and Revenue and Expenditure (APBN) funds and is a central government assistance to local governments channeled through the co-administration mechanism to accelerate the achievement of priority health program targets.
In June 2021, Mimika was one of the regencies in Papua which received BOK from the government. The amount of budget was around over 19 billion rupiahs. According to the Head of The Health Department in Mimika, Reynold Ubra, the number has raised since the year before. In 2020, Mimika had received about over 11 billion rupiahs.
Reynold agreed that the Health Operational Assistance is what the Papuans and the West Papuans need these days. The #COVID19 pandemic, which has been going on for a year and a half, has made the aid feel more important and urgent than ever. From testing, tracing, and isolating, some of the funds can be allocated to help COVID-19 patients.
Reynold also stated that each clinic might receive from 800 million to one billion rupiahs. However, the exact amount for each also depends on what each clinic may need.
When it comes to the health development in Papua and West Papua, the acceleration programs like these are most needed right now.
