Speaking of health and welfare sectors in the easternmost of Indonesia, there used to be sharply spiking cases of mother and infant mortality as well as contagious diseases. Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin recently stated that the achievements of health improvement in the special autonomous regions of Papua and West Papua have improved but are still hampered by some old problems in the health sector.
The following is the updates in 2021 of the highlights and challenges regarding health development in the regions.
The Highlights
In early June of 2021, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, the Indonesian Minister of Health, added that between the years 2002 and 2020, the development of the HDI (human development index) has increased for almost the last twenty years to other provinces and the national average.
In Papua, the HDI has improved by 0.3, from 60.1 in 2002 to 60.4 in 2020) while in West Papua, it was reportedly at 65.1. Likewise, life expectancy or AHH (Angka Harapan Hidup) is an indicator of health regionally and nationally. In Papua, the AHH has changed from 65.2 back in 2002 to 65.8 in 2020, while in West Papua’s figure was 66.1.
In the other sector, maternal and infant mortality rates have significantly improved in both provinces when viewed according to the targets of the National Medium Term Development Plan or RPJMN (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional).
Despite the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) set by the United Nations, there is still a large gap that we have to fulfill by the year 2030. Nonetheless, the trending maternal and infant mortality is currently relatively good.
The Challenges
The problem of malnutrition in both Papua and West Papua is 3.10% and 2.80% back in 2020, above the national average of 1.2%. However, some remaining old problems have plagued for years, such as the spread of infectious diseases.
The Cenderawasih land has become the center of infectious diseases in Indonesia, particularly HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. It was reported that malaria cases in Papua reached 72,198 in 2001. It spiked sharply to 216,841 in 2020 and as many as 9,823 in West Papua.
Even though the ratio of Community Health Centers or Puskesmas in both regions is above the national average, there is still lacking primary services in 160 sub-districts in either province. Therefore, the government focuses on accelerating the next two years to gain more primary services in all of the sub-districts in Indonesia.
In addition, Papua still lacks the number of doctors with only a ratio of 0.3 per 1,000. In fact, on the average of Asia’s rates, it takes only one doctor per 1,000 population in the easternmost provinces. That is a bad sign and should urgently be improved as soon as possible.
Updates on the COVID-19 Issues
Many hospitals in both provinces are overwhelmed by the horrible outbreak of COVID-19, spreading across Indonesia since early 2020. Today, the cases have largely been spiking to over 54,000 cases in July 2021—but the situation is predictably going to get worse.
Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Indonesia’s Health Minister, warned that the Delta variant of the Coronavirus would be spreading even to the regions with lacking access to healthcare services. In Papua Province alone, the total number of cases has been rising to over 27,000 since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Unfortunately, with limited healthcare facilities such as hospital beds, numerous patients have to deal with the fact they have to be taken care of at home.
Audryn Karma, a medical front-liner in Raja Ampat regency, West Papua, stated that many patients—of either COVID-19 or other diseases—have been cared for at home. She added that there were still some slots for more patients in the regency, but in areas near Sorong, the province’s largest city, almost all the hospitals were overloaded.
She also mentioned that the government has to conduct many more campaigns regarding the deadly virus vaccination as many people remain afraid to get vaccinated these days. Meanwhile, the situation is still far away from the target of 70% out of the country’s population getting vaccinated and reaching herd immunity.
As a result, the provincial government decided to lockdown for about eight days, especially in Sorong and Manokwari, starting early July 2021. However, the restrictions have not yet given any effects. In Jayapura, the capital city of Papua Province, hospitals are also being under pressure as they take care of patients suffering from COVID-19 and provide the testing for it.
Conclusion
Many efforts should be made to accomplish the herd immunity target and put the deadly outbreak to an end. All parties, including the center and regional governments and the entire society, must cooperate well in reaching the target. If they can fulfill the goals soon, the development of the other sectors in West Papua can be accelerated as well.
