Malnutrition, Measles Outbreak In Asmat Invitable

JAKARTA, Jan 31 (Antara) - A large amount of money has been spend on health sector in Asmat District, Papua Province, but malnutrition and the measles outbreak in the district remain inevitable. The allocation of special autonomy funds for the health sector of Asmat District in the Indonesian easternmost province of Papua in 2017 amounted to Rp60 billion but it did not seem to have a significant impact on improving the health of local communities. Papua Health Office Chief Aloysius Giyai has stated that the money was sourced from special autonomy funds to finance the Healthy Papua Cards (KPS), and the health operational costs. The funds were outside of other budgetary sources, such as from the Asmat regional budget. Furthermore, there were also funds from the Health Affairs Ministry, namely from the Social Security Administering Agency (BPJS) for health. Aloysius explained that the funds went directly to the local treasury of Asmat district, and were managed by the district government. The funds were expected to be used properly to address health problems but somehow there is now an extraordinary incidence of malnutrition and measles epidemic in Asmat district. However, money can buy a bed but not sleep, a clock but not time, a book but not knowledge, a position but not respect, and even medicine but not health. In fact, Aloysius remarked that as many as 61 todlers in Asmat district have died due to measles and malnutrition since September 2017 until mid January 2018. In addition, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar stated that the number of malnutrition victims in Asmat district of Papua had reached 15 thousand people. According to him, various factors were behind malnutrition cases in the district, which includes its remote location, lack of access to health facility, transportation, nutritious food, and low economic level. Amar described the minimal facilities at the public health center (Puskesmas) in Asmat, with lack of paramedics and medical doctors to head the center. He called on the Police Headquarters' Health and Medical Center (Pusdokkes) to send its physicians to health centers in Asmat. According to the police chief, two thousand to three thousand vials of measles vaccine are needed. Papua police and Cendrawasih military regional command would establish a health task force to map areas that are prone to the diseases and visit the areas to address the problem. On the measles epidemic and malnutrition in Asmat district, he explained that the medical team has provided health services to tackle the epidemics, while medicines and nutritious food, both from the government and private institutions, continue to flow into the district. Based on the order of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) will soon dispatch a special health task force to Asmat district, in an effort to tackle malnutrition and the measles outbreak for a year. TNI spokesman Major General Sabrar Fadhilah remarked on Monday that the military will at least send 260 personnel, comprising the medical team, logistic, and security teams, to tackle the measles outbreak and malnutrition. According to him, the TNI will send the special health task force to 23 sub-districts in remote Asmat and to 224 other villages. "On Jan 25, we sent the first task force team, which has reportedly arrived in (health command posts)," Sabrar stated, noting that the number of task force personnel in the future may increase. The geographical condition in Asmat has become a challenge in delivering the logistics. In addition to the TNI, the Health Ministry has also sent health personnel to Asmat, because tackling the measles and malnutrition that had claimed lives of several children in Asmat is not solely the health staff's responsibility but a joint task, Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek stated. During a coordination meeting with the Health Department of Papua at the Horison Timika Hotel last Thursday, Moeloek expressed objection if the problem in Asmat District, Papua Province, was defined as a health disaster. By labeling the problem in Asmat as a health disaster, it appears to give the impression and also lays accusations that the ranks of the Ministry of Health and the regional health office are not working. "It is as though we do not work at all. That is what I cannot accept. Please try to get to the root cause of this problem to know what it is about? Should the Health Ministry alone be tasked with overcoming the problem?" the health minister emphasized. The minister affirmed that several external factors had affected the coverage and quality of health service in Asmat region, with difficult terrain. Moeloek cited the example of the limited stock of fuel oil in the region that vastly affected the deployment of health workers in the remote districts. According to the minister, what was currently happening in Asmat District was highly complex and caused by several factors.