Govt to hasten health improvement in remote areas
Antara News, Saturday, March 20, 2010 22:12 WIB
Pontianak (ANTARA News) - The government plans to hasten health improvement development program in remote and border areas to provide the local people with better health care services.
"We will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the health improvement program in remote areas, border areas, and smaller islands," Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said in the West Kalimantan city of Pontianak on Friday.
She said signing of the MoU would be followed up by real action to improve health services for the people living in those areas.
According to the minister, the government had to make every effort to speed up the health improvement program because health access and service in most of the isolated areas in small islands across the country have yet to be effective as being expected.
"Health status in the remote areas is still low while we have limited human resources, funds, infrastructure, and facility," the health minister said.
Meanwhile, West Kalimantan deputy governor Christiandy Sanjaya also shared the minister`s opinion and said it did happen at many areas in the province.
"Geographic condition in West Kalimantan is difficult, public transportation and facility are limited, and health service access is low because of limited number of health personnel," Sanjaya said.
He said allocation of regional budget (APBD) to improve health services in the remote and isolated areas was also low in amount.
"Therefore we hope there is a support from central government," Sanjaya said, explaining that there were five areas in West Kalimantan bordering with Malaysia, namely Entikong in Sanggau district,Nangabadau in Kapuas Hulu district, Aruk in Sambas district, Jagoibabang in Bengkayang district, and Jasa in Sintang district.
He said infectious diseases and the others that can be prevented through immunization still posed serious problem in those five border areas in West Kalimantan.
"At Sajingan clinic in the past three years there were frequent extraordinary cases of measles because many children there missed measles immunization," Sanjaya said.
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