(Subjects: Religion/Worship, Lightworkers, Food, Health, Prescription Drugs, Homeopathy, Innate (Body intelligence), New Age movement, Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text version)

“…… Should I use Doctors and Drugs to Heal Me or Spiritual Methods?

"Dear Kryon, I have heard that you should stay natural and not use the science on the planet for healing. It does not honor God to go to a doctor. After all, don't you say that we can heal with our minds? So why should we ever go to a doctor if we can do it ourselves? Not only that, my doctor isn't enlightened, so he has no idea about my innate or my spiritual body needs. What should I do?"

First, Human Being, why do you wish to put so many things in boxes? You continue to want a yes and no answer for complex situations due to your 3D, linear outlook on almost everything. Learn to think out of the 3D box! Look at the heading of this section [above]. It asks which one should you do. It already assumes you can't do both because they seem dichotomous.

Let's use some spiritual logic: Here is a hypothetical answer, "Don't go to a doctor, for you can heal everything with your mind." So now I will ask: How many of you can do that in this room right now? How many readers can do that with efficiency right now? All of you are old souls, but are you really ready to do that? Do you know how? Do you have really good results with it? Can you rid disease and chemical imbalance with your mind right now?

I'm going to give you a truth, whether you choose to see it or not. You're not ready for that! You are not yet prepared to take on the task of full healing using your spiritual tools. Lemurians could do that, because Pleiadians taught them how! It's one of the promises of God, that there'll come a day when your DNA works that efficiently and you will be able to walk away from drug chemistry and the medical industry forever, for you'll have the creator's energy working at 100 percent, something you saw within the great masters who walked the earth.

This will be possible within the ascended earth that you are looking forward to, dear one. Have you seen the news lately? Look out the window. Is that where you are now? We are telling you that the energy is going in that direction, but you are not there yet.

Let those who feel that they can heal themselves begin the process of learning how. Many will be appreciative of the fact that you have some of the gifts for this now. Let the process begin, but don't think for a moment that you have arrived at a place where every health issue can be healed with your own power. You are students of a grand process that eventually will be yours if you wish to begin the quantum process of talking to your cells. Some will be good at this, and some will just be planting the seeds of it.

Now, I would like to tell you how Spirit works and the potentials of what's going to happen in the next few years. We're going to give the doctors of the planet new inventions and new science. These will be major discoveries about the Human body and of the quantum attributes therein.

Look at what has already happened, for some of this science has already been given to you and you are actually using it. Imagine a science that would allow the heart to be transplanted because the one you have is failing. Of course! It's an operation done many times a month on this planet. That information came from the creator, did you realize that? It didn't drop off the shelf of some dark energy library to be used in evil ways.

So, if you need a new heart, Lightworker, should you go to the doctor or create one with your mind? Until you feel comfortable that you can replace your heart with a new one by yourself, then you might consider using the God-given information that is in the hands of the surgeon. For it will save your life, and create a situation where you stay and continue to send your light to the earth! Do you see what we're saying?

You can also alter that which is medicine [drugs] and begin a process that is spectacular in its design, but not very 3D. I challenge you to begin to use what I would call the homeopathic principle with major drugs. If some of you are taking major drugs in order to alter your chemistry so that you can live better and longer, you might feel you have no choice. "Well, this is keeping me alive," you might say. "I don't yet have the ability to do this with my consciousness, so I take the drugs."

In this new energy, there is something else that you can try if you are in this category. Do the following with safety, intelligence, common sense and logic. Here is the challenge: The principle of homeopathy is that an almost invisible tincture of a substance is ingested and is seen by your innate. Innate "sees" what you are trying to do and then adjusts the body's chemistry in response. Therefore, you might say that you are sending the body a "signal for balance." The actual tincture is not large enough to affect anything chemically - yet it works!

The body [innate] sees what you're trying to do and then cooperates. In a sense, you might say the body is healing itself because you were able to give it instructions through the homeopathic substance of what to do. So, why not do it with a major drug? Start reducing the dosage and start talking to your cells, and see what happens. If you're not successful, then stop the reduction. However, to your own amazement, you may often be successful over time.

You might be able to take the dosage that you're used to and cut it to at least a quarter of what it was. It is the homeopathy principle and it allows you to keep the purpose of the drug, but reduce it to a fraction of a common 3D dosage. You're still taking it internally, but now it's also signaling in addition to working chemically. The signal is sent, the body cooperates, and you reduce the chance of side effects.

You can't put things in boxes of yes or no when it comes to the grand system of Spirit. You can instead use spiritual logic and see the things that God has given you on the planet within the inventions and processes. Have an operation, save your life, and stand and say, "Thank you, God, for this and for my being born where these things are possible." It's a complicated subject, is it not? Each of you is so different! You'll know what to do, dear one. Never stress over that decision, because your innate will tell you what is appropriate for you if you're willing to listen. ….”

Monsanto / GMO - Global Health


(Subjects: Big pharma [the drug companies of America] are going to have to change very soon or collapse. When you have an industry that keeps people sick for money, it cannot survive in the new consciousness., Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text version)
"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)
"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS" – Sep 29, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: ... I'm in Canada and I know it, but I will tell those listening and reading in the American audience the following: Get ready! Because there are some institutions that are yet to fall, ones that don't have integrity and that could never be helped with a bail out. Again, we tell you the biggest one is big pharma, and we told you that before. It's inevitable. If not now, then in a decade. It's inevitable and they will fight to stay alive and they will not be crossing the bridge. For on the other side of the bridge is a new way, not just for medicine but for care. ....) - (Text Version)

Pharmaceutical Fraud / Corruption cases

Health Care

Health Care
Happy birthday to Percy Julian, a pioneer in plant-drug synthesis. His research produced steroids like cortisone. (11 April 2014)

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Women's awareness of abuse on the rise: LBH APIK

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 12/31/2008 3:55 PM  

Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK) reported Wednesday that women's awareness over domestic abuse was increasing as evident in the rise in number of cases reported. 

BH APIK director Estu Rakhmi Fanani said the institute had received 497 cases in 2008, a 51 percent increase compared to last year's at 216 cases. 

"As many as 51 percent of 35 cases of sexual abuse, rape and molestation were suffered by women below the age of 18, whereas sexual harassment were rampantly reported by those above," Fanani said, as reported by kompas.com. 

A significant proportion of the perpetrators, she added, were known to the victims. 

"Perpetrators were listed as employers, superiors, siblings, boyfriends, neighbors, spiritual teachers, cohort, step fathers and doctors," she said. 

LBH APIK coordinator for legal reforms, Umi Farida, however, added that despite the fact that people's awareness of abuse has increased, law enforcement and legal processing were still weak.

"There are still challenges in the legal system, which is why a revision of the Criminal Code was introduced in Prolegnas (National Legistation Program), "Farida said. (amr) 


Tuesday, December 30, 2008

RI to increase supplies of medicine to Gaza

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 12/30/2008 9:03 PM  

The Indonesian government plans to increase its spending on drug supplies for Palestinians in Gaza, from an initial Rp 2 billion (US$184,000) to Rp 10 billion. 

The scale of the impacts of the Israeli strikes was beyond initial estimates, Health Ministry Crisis Management Center head Rustam Pakaya told Antara newswire on Tuesday. 

Rustam said, during a meeting with Palestinian officials on Monday he had learned that more than 300 people had been killed and 1,300 people had been hospitalized, 800 of whom were in a critical condition. 

After speaking to Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Fariz Mehdawi, Rustam said Palestine required qualified anesthetists, medical equipment, medicine, food and tents. 

With only three hospitals in operation in the area, it was harder for Palestinians to cope with the attacks, he said. 

The government would soon send Rp 300 million worth of locally produced medicines and would disburse Rp 10 billion to buy more drugs in Egypt, Rustam said. 

Earlier on Monday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had written a letter to the UN secretary-general and the UN Security Council president condemning the Israeli attacks. 

Yudhoyono said the attacks were disproportionate and that the Security Council must hold a formal meeting to issue a resolution to force Israel to stop its offensive. 

Yudhoyono also pledged a total of $1 million in cash aid and another $2 million in medical supplies. (and)

Monday, December 29, 2008

Flood inundates Gorontalo, residents evacuated

The Jakarta Post, Gorontalo | Mon, 12/29/2008 9:39 AM  

Limboto lake has overflowed and submerged several villages in Gorontalo regency of North Sulawesi, forcing residents to find evacute themselves, kompas.com reported on Monday. 

The water of between 50 centimeter and 1.5 meter has inundated residents' homes in Dembe and Lekobalo villages of the regency, while heavy rain has poured down the locations since Saturday. 

Meri, a resident from Lekobalo, said on Monday that she and her family had to move to neighbors home located in higher place. 

“We have expected that the water level will get high and take a long time to decline,” she said. 

Meanwhile, residents in Tabumela and Tualango have suffered from some illnesses during the flood inundating their homes in the past two months. Some of them said that they were experiencing diarrhea and itching and did not go for sails to catch fishes. 

“Due to our diseases, we find it difficult to earn money. We hope the local administration will provide aids to help us,” said resident Abdul. (ewd)

RI to send RP 2 b in medical aid to Palestine

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/29/2008 10:37 AM  

The Health Ministry is planning to send Rp 2 billion (US$181,000) in medical assistance to help Palestinians cope with the war against Israel, tempointeraktif.com reported on Monday. 

Head of the ministry's crisis control department Rustam S. Pakaya said Monday the minister had allocated the funds and would dispatch the aid tommorrow (Tuesday). 

"We have coordinated with the Foreign Ministry on sending the aid," he said. 

On Saturday, Israeli troops began bombing raids directed at Hamas facilities in Gaza, which have so far claimed 300 lives. The Israeli cabinet has prepared to deploy 6,700 reservists to the border area. (ewd)

Related Article:  

MER-C sends medics to Palestine


Sunday, December 28, 2008

Volunteers in high demand, PMI says

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 12/28/2008 8:39 AM  

Hundreds of Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteers took part in a campaign Saturday to recruit more volunteers. 

They said volunteers were needed in Indonesia, which is prone to natural disasters. 

“A long time ago, during the Dutch colonial era, this country needed heroes to chase away the enemies. 

Today, all we need is volunteers who can help other people who suffer from natural disasters, like tsunamis or earthquakes,” Juliati Susilo, head of the volunteer division at PMI, told The Jakarta Post. 

She said the number of volunteers was still far from ideal. 

“There are only 110,000 PMI volunteers spread throughout 408 branches across the country. The number is not enough to support our activities,” she said. 

“We need about 10 percent of Indonesia’s 220 million population and we are especially encouraging young people to be PMI volunteers because this is a good activity for them to learn how to care for each other.” 

She, however, said it was not easy to encourage people to become PMI volunteers.  

Being a volunteer, Juli said, meant one had to dedicate time and even one’s life. And the hard work is not paid. 

“It is difficult for most Indonesians to do this, since they still have to think about how to earn a living and support their family,” she said. 

PMI will provide a 120-hour training program for people signing up as volunteers. The training includes first aid and disaster litigation and management. 

The campaign, called Let’s Become PMI volunteers, was organized in conjunction with PMI Volunteer Day, which falls every Dec. 26. 

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared the date as PMI Volunteer Day in 2005, a year after the tsunami hit Aceh. 

Rai Mona, a volunteer from Bengkulu, said she enjoyed her time as a PMI volunteer. 

“I’ve been a volunteer since 1996. It feels so good helping other people. At first, I was scared to look at blood or injuries, but now I am used to it,” the 25-year-old woman said. 

She even took a month off from her study at Bengkulu University to help tsunami victims in Aceh in 2004. 

“My parents were OK with my decision because they knew that I did it for the sake of humanity,” Mona said.  

A volunteer for the Junior Red Cross (PMR), Sisca Ekawati, decided to become a volunteer after she watched stories about natural disaster victims on television. 

The 16-year-old girl said her school mates often called her “crazy” because of her active participation within the organization. 

“Hey, there’s no use being a volunteer. It’s a waste of time. Going to the mall and watching movies is more fun,” Sisca said, imitating her friends.


Scores of emergency ward patients neglected in Garut hospital

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 12/28/2008 10:12 AM 

Scores of patients at the Emergancy Ward of Dr. Slamet hospital in Garut, West Java, failed to receive immediate medical response due to neglect, Antara news agency reported on Sunday. 

Hospital Chief Widjayanti Utoyo said that the issue was caused by an unprecedented hike in number of patients at the ward. 

"The limited capacity of inpatient care facilities has led to some delays in patient handling," she said, as quoted by Antara. 

Utoyo added that the hospital was trying its utmost to solve the problem and improve medical treatment. 

Garut's regional secretary Wowo Wibowo, however, regretted the hospital's lapse. 

"No matter what happens, patients at emergency wards should always receive immediate treatment and not fall to neglect," Wibowo said, adding that his office would soon launch a performace evaluation of the Dr. Slamet hospital. (amr)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

7,000 suffer severe mental illness; Survey

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Sat, 12/27/2008 10:55 AM  

As many as 7,000 individuals in Bali suffer from various types of severe mental illness, with many subjected to physical abuse by their families, according to a 2008 survey conducted by the Suryani Institute for Mental Health. 

A large majority of these people have never received proper treatment, the survey said. 

"Most of them have suffered from the illnesses for more than five years," the institute's secretary Cokorda Bagus Jaya Lesmana said here recently. 

The Institute was founded by the island's leading psychiatrist Prof. Dr. LK Suryani. 

She rose to prominence after breakthrough research and treatment she conducted by combining Balinese ancient healing methods with modern psychiatry. She is well known for being outspoken, and often controversial, on the province's major contemporary issues. 

Jaya Lesmana disclosed a large number of the mental illnesses cases were triggered by depression related to economic problems. 

"The economic problems and hardships trigger stress and depression, which later escalate into mental disturbances," he said. 

Most of the 7,000 mentally ill individuals live in Karangasem, a regency some 80 kilometers east of Denpasar and one of the island's poorest regions. The survey found 895 cases in the regency. 

"The fact that the regency has a chronic poverty problem must have something to do with its high number of mental illness cases," he added. 

Jaya Lesmana said a large majority of the cases had never been treated properly. 

He said many families still used the traditional method of chaining people with mental illness to heavy wooden logs to restrain their movements and prevent them from hurting anybody, including themselves. 

"The survey found 200 individuals were still being subjected to this method," he said. 

In Karangasem regency alone, the institute's staff found 25 individuals being chained and locked inside unhealthy confinement spaces, such as cattle barns. Some had been chained for twenty years, others for more than five years. 

"The families claim they cannot afford to send them to mental hospitals. Chaining and locking them is seen as the best alternative to preventing them from disturbing others or putting themselves at harm," he said. 

He urged the government to take concrete measures in dealing with the problem. 

"The number of cases will increase in the future due to the imminent economic hardship period caused by the ongoing global financial crisis," he warned. 

The institute has treated 141 people with mental illness individuals from poor families in Karangasem. 

"They have responded positively to the treatment. It shows that if these individuals were given proper treatments and medications they could gradually became healthy again," he stressed. 

Jaya Lesmana said the institute didn't have enough manpower and financial resources to treat all of them. 

Bali Social Welfare Agency head AA Gde Alit blamed the public's reluctance to notify the authority when a mental illness case was found as the reason behind the high number of cases being left untreated. 

"We have a mental hospital in Bangli to deal with this matter. We urge the families of these people with mental illness to bring them to this hospital. Poor families are exempt from any hospital fees," he said.


Related Article:

Psychiatric Hospitals Inundated With People Seeking Help Following Layoffs


Five infants occupy female penintentiary

Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA News) - Five infants  and a six months pregnant woman are occupying the  Tanjung Gusta women's penitentiary, Medan. 

The five infants had to stay there to be breast-fed by their  mothers, warden Etty Nurbaity said here Friday. 

Etty said that under the  regulations, a woman convict or prisoner could bring in their baby along for breast feeding. 

Under the  regulation, babies more than two years old should be referred to their relatives outside the jail.


Friday, December 26, 2008

Fund managers for micro-credit scheme

The Jakarta Post, Fri, 12/26/2008 11:20 AM  

JAKARTA: With high nonperforming loans in the Subdistrict Empowerment Program (PPMK) fund distribution, the city administration will soon set up a micro-finance institution to manage the funds properly. 

The city administration currently allocates PPMK funds to the People Empowerment Board (BPM), which hands the money out to communities through the subdistrict community council. 

BPM head Budi Harjo said the audit results on PPMK funds during 2002-2007 showed it was in the red by up to Rp 116.50 billion (US$9.70 million). 

"There are many reasons, such as bankruptcy or the PPMK recipient died and the heir can't afford to pay. In the latter case, we would exempt them from the obligation as long as the neighborhood unit head issues a notification letter," he said. 

"Those who flee obligation, we will prosecute." 

Mara Oloan Siregar, assistant to city secretary for economic affairs, said that next year credit would be managed by micro-finance institutions or cooperatives. 

The program was started in 2001, with Rp 50 billion for 25 subdistricts. It grew gradually to cover all 267 subdistricts. As of this year, the disbursed funds total Rp 1.175 trillion. 

The funds have been used for social, physical and economic development programs conducted by the communities. For economic programs, the money goes into revolving funds to improve the communities' small and medium businesses. -- JP


Study: Power plant causes illnesses

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Cilacap | Fri, 12/26/2008 11:20 AM  

More than 3,000 residents or 90 percent of people living around the Karangkandri coal-fired power plant (PLTU) in Kesugihan district, Cilacap regency, Central Java suffer from respiratory illnesses that can be attributed to dust pollution coming from a nearby power plant. 

Residents from three villages in the vicinity of the plant operator Cilacap PLTU should be held responsible for losses stemming from the health problems. 

"It's a serious problem. A survey conducted by a medical team from Greenpeace Southeast Asia shows the severity. We ask that the power plant operator take responsibility for it," Sugriyanto, chairman of People's Aspiration Committee, said Wednesday. 

Sugriyanto added that residents have been protesting over the pollution since last year, but their concerns have never been seriously addressed. 

He said the residents asked the power plant operator to acquire 5.5 hectares of land around the plant to be re-greened in an effort to balance the dust pollution. 

"We also demand the power plant operator relocate 300 households in the nearby Griya Kencana Permai housing complex, which suffered most from the pollution," he said. 

Residents have asked the power plant for compensation of Rp 360,000 (US$32.87) for each of the 700 households in the three villages. The money would be used to establish a cooperative and free medical check ups. 

Sugriyanto said the residents had repeatedly complained to several government agencies but had not got satisfactory responses. 

He said the residents had recently sent a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono about the problem. 

"If we do not receive a response from the President, we will hold a massive rally to protest the power plant in the near future. We have been supported by Greenpeace and the Indonesian Forum for Environment," he said. 

Separately, the Cilacap steam power plant's technical manager, Sutikno, said the demand for the compensation would be hard to meet as it would increase the company's investment costs. 

"If we meet the demand, it will raise investment costs and, then, increase the price of the electricity," he told The Jakarta Post. 

"If it happened, people would suffer in a different way. So, it's not that easy to fulfill their demand." 

However, he promised that the operator would consider the matter further.


President checks Tsunami Drill preparation in Manado

Manado (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono here on Friday morning checks the preparation of tsunami drill which is to be conducted on Saturday, December 27, 2008. 

On the occasion North Sulawesi Governor SH Sarundajang, Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman, and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi explained the official steps relating to activity to the president.


Indonesian flag flies over debris at Meulobah, Aceh Earthquake 9.2 / Tsunami Disaster December 2004


The tsunami simulation drill in Manado, North Sulawesi, was originally scheduled for Friday, December 26, but the president decided to adjourn it to Saturday because on Friday it was in conjunction with the second day of Christmas. 

The simulation drill would be organized by the Research and Technology Ministry in cooperation with the Meteorology and Geophysics Aggency (BMG) in conjunction with the commemoration of the devastating tsunami that hit Aceh province on December 26, 2004. 

After checking the preparation, President Yudhoyono and his entourage would leave Manado for Jakarta at 10:30 on Friday morning. 

The chairman of the event`s organizing committee, HR Makagansa, said here recently that the tsunami simulation drill would need the participation of at least 15,000 volunteers who would be recruited from among the general public, civil servants, military, police and quarters responsible for rescue management in a tsunami disaster, students and medical staffers. 

The committee had decided 11 points to be the tracks of evacuation during the simulation, among others Lorong Miftahul Janah, Pancaran Kasih Hospital, Tombariri viallge, Tomohon village, Kakas village, Piere Tendean street, Rex Mundi Foundation, Lorong Pondol, Gunung Langit, and the International Trade Center. 

Some of the victims in the drill would be evacuated to the Adventist Hospital, Teling Hospital, and the North Sulawesi governor`s office. 

Meanwhile, Governor SH Sarundajang said Manado city and coastal areas in North Sulawesi were prone to earthquakes capable of triggering tsunami. 

North Sulawesi and Gorontalo provinces were jolted by three consecutive powerful earthquakes measuring 7.7, 6.0, and 5.7 on the Richter scale respectively last November 17, 2008.


Related Articles:

Acehnese hold mass prayers commemorating tsunami victims

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto: Working as the hand of God in Aceh

Improvements seen four years after the Indian Ocean tsunami

Images of Aceh Earthquake 9.2 /Tsunami Disaster December 2004


Christmas leads 221 inmates to freedom

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/26/2008 11:21 AM  

More than 200 prisoners walked free as Indonesia celebrated Christmas nationwide Thursday. 

They were among more than 7,000 inmates, all Christians, who had their sentences reduced by the government for lengths between 15 days and two months for good behavior in observance of Christmas day. 

Justice and Human Rights Ministry spokesman Akbar Adi Prabowo was quoted by Antara news agency as saying that 221 prisoners were released because following annual remissions their jail terms had ended. 

Untung Sugiono, the ministry director-general for correctional affairs, symbolically awarded Christmas remissions to eligible prisoners in Jakarta on Thursday. 

The ministry said around 1,700 of the prisoners who received sentence reductions were from East Nusa Tenggara province, while Maluku province had 1,600 inmates granted similar remissions. 

Sentence reductions were also received by 1,500 prisoners in North Sumatra, 323 in Jakarta and 337 inmates in West Java. 

In 2007, the government reduced the sentences of almost 8,000 prisoners on Christmas day, while a year earlier a total of 6,750 Christian inmates were granted remissions. 

Currently, around 130,000 inmates are serving jail terms at prisons throughout the country, most of them seriously over-crowded, the justice ministry said. 

Twenty-five percent are detainees while the rest are prisoners, it added. 

Under the law, prisoners must demonstrate six months of good behavior in order to have their sentences reduced. 

Death row prisoners and those serving life are not eligible for remissions. 

The government grants sentence cuts of up to six months twice a year -- once to mark Independence Day on August 17 and another during major religious holidays, decided according to a convict's faith.


HO! HO! HOSPITAL

The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 12/26/2008 10:33 AM 

 

 

An employee at PGI Hospital in Cikini, Central Jakarta, decked out in a Santa Claus costume while another wears a Santa hat, brings a candle to entertain a sick boy. The pair went around visiting patients in the hospital on Christmas Eve, trying to raise the festive spirit. (JP/J. Adiguna)


Thursday, December 25, 2008

Migrant worker dies after falling 3 stories

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 12/25/2008 8:26 PM  

An Indonesian migrant worker in Singapore died last Sunday after falling from the third floor of an apartment where she worked as a domestic, kompas.com reports. 

The 31-year old Mujinah was a resident of Kedawung village in Cilacap. Her body is scheduled to arrive home Thursday evening. 

Mujinah's husband Tusliman said Thursday he had received news of his wife's death Monday from her agent PT Mangun Jaya Perkasa Cilacap. 

He said he was suspicious about how she died because she had told him she was feeling uncomfortable about working with her boss. 

"Her boss once accused my wife of stealing and threatened to kill her," he said. 

However, he said, his family would not file any formal complaint to have her death investigated due to lack of resources to finance the legal process. 

"I am just hoping that the agent will pay all that is her rightful due," said the father of two. (ewd)


A Mysterious Link Between Sleeplessness and Heart Disease

By RONI CARYN RABIN, The New York Times, Published: December 23, 2008 

People who don’t get much sleep are more likely than those who do to develop calcium deposits in their coronary arteries, possibly raising their risk for heart disease, a new study has found. 

The 495 participants in the study filled out sleep questionnaires and kept a log of their hours in bed. At night they also wore motion-sensing devices around their wrists that estimate the number of hours of actual sleep. At the beginning, none of the participants, who were ages 35 to 47, had evidence of coronary artery calcification. 

Five years later, 27 percent of those who were sleeping less than five hours a night on average had developed coronary artery calcification for the first time, while only 6 percent of those who were sleeping seven hours or more had developed it. Among those who were sleeping between five and seven hours a night, 11 percent had developed coronary artery calcification, the study found. 

After accounting for various other causes, the researchers concluded that one hour more of sleep per night was associated with a 33 percent decrease in the odds of calcification, comparable to the heart benefit gained by lowering one’s systolic blood pressure by 17 millimeters of mercury. 

The study was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The data were drawn from the ongoing Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults study. 

Senior author Diane S. Lauderdale cautioned that the new report does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship between a lack of sleep and heart disease. 

“It’s important to say that this is the first report and this does not yet prove the association is causal,” said Dr. Lauderdale, an associate professor of health studies at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “Until we know what the mechanism is -- that it’s really a direct or a causal relationship -- there is no point in making recommendations based on this.” 

Although a number of studies have suggested that people who sleep less are at greater risk of heart disease and death, this is the first investigation to measure how much its subjects actually are sleeping, said Dr. Sanjay Patel, assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University and expert in sleep medicine. Patients’ own self-assessments can be very inaccurate, he added. 

What isn’t clear is whether reduced sleep triggers physiological changes that increase heart disease risk, or whether a third, unrelated factor causes both changes, he said. 

“It’s possible, for example, that people who are under more stress may be both sleeping less and at higher risk of heart disease,” Dr. Patel said. 

If so, he added, “If we got those people to sleep more but they still were under a lot of stress, it wouldn’t change their risk of heart disease.” 

Higher education levels are also associated with both a lower risk of heart disease and a tendency to get more sleep, said Dr. Lauderdale. 

But it is also possible that lack of sleep leads to certain changes, like increasing blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can raise the risk of coronary artery disease over time, Dr. Lauderdale said. 

Another possible mechanism could be through the effect that sleep has on average blood pressure levels over a 24-hour period. Blood pressure usually dips when people are asleep, which could provide health benefits for those who get more sleep, Dr. Lauderdale suggested.


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

SBY Calls for Unity in Time of Adversity

The Jakarta Globe, Sally Piri 

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday called on all Indonesians to unite and support each other in this time of adversity. 

“I hope all Indonesians take part in improving our social solidarity in facing the current development of conditions in our country and those in the world,” Yudhoyono said at a ceremony to mark National Solidarity Day. 

He said that all contributions, no matter how small, were valuable. 

He reminded his audience that Indonesia was not immune to the global recession. 

“We all know that all nations in the world are feeling the impact of the current food crisis, the oil energy crisis, the financial crisis and the recession of the world economy,” he said. 

Everyone should work to support government programs to improve the welfare of all Indonesians, especially for the poor and the needy, he said. 

“Let us carry out the government’s programs to enhance the prosperity of the people,” he said. 

The central government’s cash and rice aid programs across Indonesia have continually been hampered by bureaucracy, corruption and even security concerns, as people are often injured and sometimes killed in the stampedes that frequently accompany the distribution of aid to the poor. He said that besides providing direct help to the poor in the form of cash and essentials, the government was providing other forms of indirect help. 

“Let’s be more tolerant. We should give and take, share and care,” Yudhoyono said. 

Yudhoyono also reminded Indonesians that the country was prone to natural disasters, urging everyone to be prepared for such events. 

Indonesia sits on the convergence of several continental plates and is therefore prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity. The degradation of the environment in the past few decades has also begun to cause widespread flooding and landslides in the rainy season. 

“God blessed us with rich natural resources, but he also made our country prone to disasters, like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and landslides,” he said. “Our best attitude is to always be on the ready in case these disasters come.” 

In a separate event, municipal authorities in West Jakarta held a mass wedding for the poor to mark National Solidarity Day. A total of 727 couples were married at the municipal office, Detik.com reported.


Tuesday, December 23, 2008

275 women fell victim to domestic violence in 2008


The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/23/2008 4:33 PM

Mitra Perempuan Women's Crisis Center reported Tuesday that 275 women came forward as victims of domestic violence this year.

The women who had lodged their complaints with the NGO came from various walks of life, including career women and homemakers.

"As many as 5.82 percent of the total number of victims were below the age of 18," Mitra Perempuan chairwoman Rita Serena Kalibonso said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Kalibonso added that most of the perpetrators were spouses at 76.98 percent and former husbands at 6.12 percent. The rest were reported to have been parents, children, siblings, boyfriends and colleagues.


Let them drink milk: Ministers rule on breast-feeding workers

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/23/2008 7:34 AM

MOTHER'S MILK: Young women take part in a breast-feeding competition at a public health center in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on Monday. The event, sponsored by Mercy Corps Indonesia, was held to raise awareness of the importance of exclusive breast-feeding for infants up to six months old. (JP/J. Adiguna)

The government had a special gift for mothers this Mother’s Day — a joint ministerial decree to make it easier for female workers to breast-feed their babies, albeit indirectly.

The stated aim of the decree, issued Monday, is to encourage breast-feeding of infants until they are six months old, as highly recommended by the World Health Organization for the development of healthy children.

Under the decree, employers are encouraged to give breast-feeding employees time to pump their breast milk during work hours and the facilities to store it for their babies whom they have to leave at home.

The joint decree mandates the State Minister for Women’s Empowerment to disseminate information about breast-feeding among workers and employers and asks the Health Ministry to provide field workers to teach breast-feeding women how to pump their breast milk.

The decree was signed by Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari and State Minister for Women’s Empowerment Meuthia Hatta during a Women’s Day event at the Jakarta Convention Center, led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Soeharno, a spokesman for the manpower ministry, said the decree referred to Law No. 13/2003 on manpower, which requires employers to recognize the right of female workers to breast-feed their babies.

“The decree avoids placing too much of a burden on employers, but on the other hand promotes breast milk as the best yet cheapest food for babies in times of crisis,” Soeharno said.

A WHO survey found that breast milk is more effective than formula milk in boosting babies’ immune systems.

During the ceremony, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also conferred state awards on several institutions and local governments for their contribution to women’s empowerment.

The Parahita Ekapraya award was presented to those who had shown commitment to gender equality and gender-responsive policies.

For the first time this year, several ministries and state institutions won awards. The Public Works Ministry, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office won the inaugural award for demonstrating strong commitment to improving gender equality through their policies.

Also awarded were several provinces — Central Java, Lampung, East Java, West Kalimantan, West Sumatra, Banten, Jambi and Riau Islands — and regents and municipalities — South Lampung, Temanggung, Brebes, Sragen, Tulung Agung, Magelang, Malang and Bandung.

In his speech, the President urged women to do their bit through their work to help the country tackle the effects of the global financial crisis.

“I call on women nationwide to participate in the joint efforts to deal with the crisis to save our economy. The government will always be in the vanguard in these efforts,” Yudhoyono said.

The President also expressed his appreciation and support for women for their concrete efforts in food diversification, energy saving and tree-planting movements in preparation for global food and environmental crises.


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Monday, December 22, 2008

Psychiatric Hospitals Inundated With People Seeking Help Following Layoffs

The Jakarta Globe, Nivell Rayda, 22 December 2008 

Psychiatric hospitals in Jakarta have seen a sharp rise in the number of people seeking treatment for hysteria and depression following the onset of the global economic crisis and the mass layoffs that have followed. 

At least one hospital was inundated with more than 100 new patients and was forced to turn people away, and there are fears that given further projected layoffs in the coming months, the number of people seeking treatment could skyrocket. 

Klender Islamic Mental Hospital, a private facility in East Jakarta, has also seen a spike in the number of people wanting help. 

“The number of people seeking medical treatment has grown substantially,” Supriharyanto, the hospital’s operations manager, said on Sunday. “In a single day, around 20 patients checked in, though not all were hospitalized.” 

He said that the patients showed symptoms of hysteria, depression, melancholia and paranoia. 

“There was a woman who claimed that her husband had threatened her with a knife, believing that she was having an affair with an imaginary man,” Supriharyanto said. 

“We then rushed to her house and we were fortunate enough to intervene as he was about to commit suicide.” 

He said that doctors later discovered that the man’s condition had gone untreated for months out of shame. 

“This caused his condition to deteriorate,” Supriharyanto said. “If the family really wanted to help him, then they should have immediately sought professional help.” 

He said that the man, whose condition has since improved, was discharged from the hospital and is now being treated at home. 

Around 100 people have tried to check in to state-run Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital in Grogol, West Jakarta, Aminullah, the facility’s director, said on Sunday. 

“We were forced to reject patients because we are already overcrowded,” he said. 

“Where are we going to put them? The best we can do is give them an antidepressant, send them home and monitor their condition from time to time, except for those we feel are suicidal or manic depressive.” 

The recent influx of patients might just be the tip of the iceberg. The Indonesian Psychiatric Association reported earlier this year that less than 1 percent of all people dealing with mental illness in the country seek professional attention because of the stigma involved. 

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences reported last week that at least 600,000 people have lost their jobs this year and warned there could be an even greater number of layoffs in 2009. 

Last week, a 22-year-old woman in Malang, East Java Province, tried to kill herself by jumping into a 12-meter-deep well after she was dismissed from her job as a shop attendant. 

She reportedly exhibited signs of melancholia before attempting to commit suicide.


Sanitation becomes a must-learned topic

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/22/2008 11:05 AM  

Education officials in Batu municipality had had enough. The uncontrolled development of its water catchment area had reduced the Brantas River, the city's main water source, to a stream; weather in the resort town was growing warmer every day and sanitation-related diseases were on the rise. 

To encourage the involvement of local people, from a young age, in combating these sorts of problems, the city's education agency launched a sanitation and environmental curriculum in 2003. 

"At first the program was laughed at by others because it focused on what people often overlook, such as how to bathe, wash the hands...But later people took it seriously because the new curriculum made children aware of the environment and their personal hygiene," education agency head Mistin said. 

Visiting Jakarta for a discussion held by the Environmental Services Program (ESP), funded by the United States Agency for International Development, Mistin discussed the difficulties her office faced in implementing the curriculum with some school teachers in the capital. 

She said that schools usually choose teachers who worked the least, such as physical education teachers, to teach the environmental studies classes. The teachers were changed regularly because of scheduling issues and no standard teaching material was used. 

"As a local curriculum, meaning there is no national examination, the schools didn't pay due attention to it and some of them even integrated it as part of other subjects such as science," Mistin said. 

In 2005, the ESP introduced its Clean, Green and Hygiene program to Batu, in a bid to save the forest by encouraging locals to separate their organic and non-organic waste. 

After adopting ESP's fun teaching method, school students now learn about river ecosystems, forest conservation, waste management and hygiene. 

"There are special teachers handling the class and they have routine meetings to discuss the studies. Now we have standard teaching methods and modules," Mistin said. 

ESP Health Communication coordinator Nona Utomo said the program had significantly reduced the number of diarrhea cases among children, the main target of the organization's work in Batu. 

"In three years, the number has plunged from nine to 10 cases per month on average to one or two," she said. 

Working together with ESP since 2006, Muslim organization Muhammadiyah had also adopted the Clean, Green and Hygiene program in swampy Paciran, Lamongan regency in East Java. 

"At first, many people resisted the involvement of a foreign country ... We used religious approach to make them accept the importance of clean and hygienic living," said Syafiq Mughni, chairman of Muhammadiyah in East Java. 

Muhammadiyah has 925 schools as well as 815 kindergartens in the province. Currently, 119 elementary schools and 330 Islamic boarding schools have applied the Clean, Green and Hygiene curriculum. 

"By May 2009 four model schools (based on the sanitation and environmental curriculum) will be launched in Paciran, Pare, Malang and Surabaya," Syafiq said. 

Noted environmentalist Emil Salim said that the Batu municipality and Muhammadiyah in East Java had succeeded in using a holistic approach to build the school curriculum. 

"We have to encourage the next generation to develop understanding on living in harmony with nature," he said. 

Winda, a teacher at Islamic private school Al-Kenaniyah in Pulomas, East Jakarta, said that the school was considering adopting the special curriculum. 

"We need this kind of local curriculum so children will understand why there is always flood and water-borne diseases in Jakarta. But we haven't got any response from the Jakarta administration about this matter," she said.


Sunday, December 21, 2008

West Java women hold first congress

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung | Sun, 12/21/2008 8:26 PM  

Some 350 women representing various organizations, political parties and individuals joined on Sunday the first-ever West Java Women Activists Congress held at the Indonesia Menggugat building on Jl Perintis Kemerdekaan. 

Held to commemorate Mother's Day which falls on Dec. 22, the congress was aimed at empowering women from all sectors of development to help improve the future of women in the province. 

Chairwoman of the conference, Hetifah Siswanda, said West Java women were facing various issues including economic problems, political accessibility, women's health and domestic violence. 

"We are not going to establish a new NGO (non-governmental organization) after this, but we want to empower women to facilitate mutual help instead," Hetifah said at the conference. 

Chairwoman of West Java Family Welfare Movement Netty Heryawan who officially opened the congress said, it was time for women in the province to be more concerned with fellow women's problems.

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Saturday, December 20, 2008

Indonesian National Health Day Highlighted by Praiseworthy Statistics

The Jakarta Globe, Fidelis E. Satriastanti & Sally Piri, 19 December 2008

Indonesia has seen its maternal mortality rate drop by more than 25 percent in the past five years while cases of malnutrition also went down from 7.2 percent in 2004 to 5.4 percent three years later, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said on Friday. 

Fadilah credited the improvement to better health services, as individuals, the community, the private sector and regional administrations increasingly cooperated to support the national health program. 

“The awareness, the will and the ability to live a healthy life must be possessed by all citizens,” Siti said at a ceremony marking National Health Day. 

She said that some of the “quite meaningful achievements in health service,” included the improving maternal mortality rate, or the number of women dying in childbirth, a lower malnourishment percentage and a higher life expectancy. 

The maternal mortality rate, she said, has fallen from 307 per 100,000 live births in 2002 to 228 in 2007. 

The malnourishment figure for the country had decreased from 7.2 percent in 2004 to 5.4 percent last year. 

She also said that according to the State-run Central Bureau of Statistics, life expectancy rate in the country during the period of 2005 to 2010 will be 69.8 years, and further rise to 71.5 years y 2015. 

Ruslidjah, a retired midwife with 35 years of experience, said that significant changes have been made in maternity health care over the past four decades. 

“Now, we have much more educated midwives rather than in the 1960s,” she said. 

Ruslidjah, said that there were only 10,000 midwives in 1975, but now, numbers had increased to 100,000 midwives. “Midwives, nowadays, are graduating from diploma programs,” she said. “It means they have better analytical capabilities regarding pregnancies.” 

She said higher maternal mortality rates in the past were caused by parochial practices. 

“There were lots of factors linked to that issue, for instance, poverty and culture,” she said. “Women, at that time, did not have the power to make their own decisions.” 

She said that maternity hospitals had become very popular with mothers. “In my era, we could handle just 50 births a day, but now, public hospitals do not handle that many cases anymore.” 

Speaking at the same ceremony, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the government would continue to prioritize health program for Indonesians, by intensifying basic health facilities and expanding health insurance for the poor. 

Better health conditions, he said, would lead to an increase in the Human Development Index and a better life expectancy rate. 

“We will make medicines more available and affordable by providing generic medicines,” said Yudhoyono, who was accompanied first lady Ani Bambang Yudhoyono. 

He said that for the last three years, the government has been concentrating on building hospitals and provide better health care to the isolated areas of the country. 

Yudhoyono said that the government will also continue to improve the quality of medical workers in the country, to provide citizens better health services. 

“Let us continue to expand public health insurance and make it more effective,” he said.


Indonesia sees progress on bird flu sharing

Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:06pm EST  

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia believes progress has been made toward agreeing a new global mechanism to share bird flu samples, although details need to be thrashed out before it will end its boycott, the country's health minister said. 

Indonesia drew international concern when it stopped virus-sharing last year, saying it wanted guarantees from rich nations and drugmakers that poor nations would get access to affordable vaccines derived from their samples. 

Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari told Reuters late on Friday that the action had helped drive home an understanding of the issues. 

"Stopping the virus is to say that I have a strong will to make a new world health mechanism," said the minister, who is known to be outspoken on the bird flu issue. 

"This system is not fair. If the injustice is in the economic system, the impact is poverty, but if the injustice is found in the world health management, then the victim is human lives," she added in an interview at her central Jakarta offices. 

The minister's comments came amid a seasonal flare up in cases of bird flu globally, including in populous India. 

International health experts say it is vital to have access to samples of the constantly mutating H5N1 virus, which they fear could change into a form easily transmissible among humans and sweep the world in months, killing millions of people. 

Talks on virus sharing hosted by the WHO last year failed to reach an agreement after Indonesia had insisted on a "material transfer agreement" for each virus sample sent to foreign labs. 

But Supari said a meeting of more than 100 countries last week in Geneva had made some breakthroughs including that benefit sharing would be integrated into material transfer agreements. 

The minister said she hoped Indonesia could return to virus sharing "as soon as possible" but details still had to be pinned down, including on what benefits richer countries might provide. 

Indonesia's negotiator in Geneva Widjaja Lukito said in a statement that benefits could include access to vaccines, vaccine stockpiles, transfer of technology and tiered pricing. 

Supari also said that an agreement had been reached on a tracking system to monitor use of the virus samples. 

"We have the rights to follow, track where our virus goes. In the old system, if you send your virus you don't know where the virus goes," she said. 

Indonesia has suffered 113 known deaths from bird flu infections since 2003, the highest of any country, according to World Health Organization data. 

(Editing by David Fox)


Jambi PMI runs out of blood stock

The Jakarta Post, Sat, 12/20/2008 12:10 PM  

JAMBI, Jambi: The Jambi city branch of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) always runs out of blood supplies as there is only small number of donors in the city. 

This condition forces patients who need blood to find their own donors. 

"Jambi needs about 700 blood bags every month," Jambi PMI chairman, Hatman Manap, said Friday. 

"So far Jambi PMI can only provide about 40 percent of the total needs." 

He encouraged institutions in the city to be more concerned about the issue by organizing blood donor campaigns as often as possible. 

Thus far PMI always provides blood for the Raden Mattaher General Hospital.


Customary villages receive Rp 20 billion grants

Ni Komang Erviani, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Sat, 12/20/2008 12:11 PM  

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika presented 200 desa pekraman (traditional customary villages) with a CBD (community-based development) endowment fund of Rp 20 billion. 

Each village received Rp 100 million in cash to be used to finance community-based poverty eradication programs. 

Of the village recipients, 21 are in Karangasem regency, 13 in Buleleng, 41 in Bangli, 15 in Klungkung, 40 in Gianyar, 40 in Tabanan, 29 in Badung and one in Denpasar. 

The community-based poverty eradication programs will assist a total of 18,400 poor households across those villages. 

The program, known as the CBD Bali Sejahtera initiative, was launched in 2001. The initiative has so far provided grants to 1,016 of Bali's 1,453 desa pekraman. 

Desa pekraman and banjar (traditional neighborhood organization) are among the most powerful community institutions in the province. 

In previous years, the World Bank was the source of the grants. This year, however, the grants were taken from the province's and regency's annual budgets. 

Pastika asked the leaders of the desa pekraman to use the grants efficiently and appropriately. 

Earlier, he stressed that poverty eradication was the administration's top priority, particularly since the island was facing the imminent impacts of the ongoing global financial crisis. 

"Sooner or later, the crisis will affect us, so we had better be prepared for that period," he said. 

He said he expected the desa pekraman use the grants for financing vocational training and education programs, creating new job opportunities and improving health services. 

"We hope the grants will give birth to community-based economics," he said. 

Deputy chief of the Grand Council of Desa Pekraman (MUDP), Agung Arnawa, praised the CBD Bali Sejahtera as an important initiative that would play a critical role in efforts to eradicate poverty in the island. 

"The fact that the local customary communities are entrusted with managing and disbursing the grants has made the initiative an important step in transforming these communities into self-reliant institutions," he said. 

He said the fund's disbursement methods would be tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual recipients. 

"If the recipients need seed money to set up a cottage industry, then we will provide them with the initial capital," he said. "If they want to set up a cattle farm then we will supply them with calves."