In Ivory Coast, telemedicine revolution proves blessing for heart patients

Yahoo – AFP, David ESNAULT, September 14, 2019

Thousands of heart patients in Ivory Coast are checked by telemedicine
each year (AFP Photo/DAVID ESNAULT)

Bouaké (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Every time Catherine Coulibaly's 19-year-old son had to make a routine appointment with the cardiologist for his heart condition, she gritted her teeth as she silently counted the financial cost.

It wasn't just the hospital fee -- there was the transport, food and accommodation, too, all of it amounting to a hefty burden for an Ivorian family on a modest income.

But thanks to telemedicine -- consultations that doctors conduct through the internet or by phone -- this cost is now a fading memory.

Her son can book an appointment at a telemedicine facility in a nearby town in northern Ivory Coast.

There, he is attached to monitoring machines which send the data sent to Bouake University Hospital in the centre of the country, where it is scrutinised by a heart doctor.

The fledgling technology has long been championed by health advocates for poor rural economies.

Ivory Coast has become an African testbed for it, thanks to a project linking the Bouake hospital's cardiac department with health centres in several northern towns, some of which are a four-hour drive away.

Telemedicine "caused a sigh of relief for the population of Bouake, Boundiali, Korhogo, everyone," says Auguste Dosso, president of the "Little Heart" association, which helps families with cardiac health issues.

Some 45 percent of the Ivorian population live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank's latest estimate in 2017. And the minimum monthly wage -- not always respected -- is only around $100, or 90 euros.

Heart disease surging

The pioneer behind the scheme is cardiologist Florent Diby, who set up an association called Wake Up Africa.

In Ivory Coast, heart disease, diabetes and other "lifestyle" ailments are surging, Diby explained.

Cardiac specialists are rare in Ivory Coast -- patients can spend much of their

income in transport and accommodation when they need a consultation 

(AFP Photo/DAVID ESNAULT)

"Urbanisation is making people more sedentary, and there's the rise in tobacco consumption, changes in diet, stress," Diby said.

Three decades ago, only around one in eight of the Ivorian population had high blood pressure -- now the figure is one in four, on a par with parts of Western Europe.

But in Ivory Coast -- and across Africa -- well-equipped cardiology units are rare.

"Ninety percent of heart attacks can be diagnosed by telemedicine, so for us cardiologists it's a revolutionary technology," said Diby.

The beauty of the telemedicine scheme is that neither the doctor nor the patient has to travel far.

The cardiac patient is hooked up to the electrocardiogram (ECG) and other diagnostic machines with the help of a technician in a local health centre, which is connected to a computer in Bouake's University Hospital.

The cardiologist there can then see the results in real time, provide a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

The five-year-old project has already linked 10 health centres to the seven cardiologists at Bouake, enabling 4,800 patients in other towns to receive consultations by telemedicine each year. The goal is to expand this to 20 sites, doubling the intake.

Expertise France, the French public agency for international technical assistance, subsidises up to 185,000 euros of the network, which pays for equipment such as computers, artificial intelligence software and internet connections.

Diby is now calling for telemedicine to be expanded in other medical fields such as neurology and psychiatry, not just in the Ivory Coast, but across West Africa too.

That opinion is shared by other experts. Sixty percent of Africans live in rural areas, where shortages of doctors are usually acute.

But numerous hurdles need to be overcome, especially investment in computers and access to the internet, according to a 2013 analysis published by the US National Library of Medicine.

Jokowi Promises War on Drugs for a ‘Golden Indonesia’

Jakarta Globe, Carlos Paath & Priska Sari Pratiwi, Feb 04, 2015

Indonesia's president has said that he will not commute any drug-trafficking
sentences. (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo opened the 2015 National Coordination Meeting on Drugs on Wednesday promising a renewed commitment to fighting the war on drugs in Indonesia.

The meeting was attended by more than 20 governors and a total of 300 mayors and was titled the “National Movement on Eradicating Drugs to Achieve a Golden Indonesia.”

“Indonesia is in a state of emergency regarding drugs,” the president said. “All governors, mayors, and regents need to work together to fight drugs together. We should not tolerate drugs.

“Each day, there are 50 people dying from using drugs and in a year, there could be up to 18 thousand people dead,” he added.

The president reiterated his stance that convicted drug traffickers would not be spared from the firing squad, a policy that has drawn unanimous condemnation from human rights groups.

“I have told the presidents and prime ministers of the countries whose citizens are the convicts that there will be no forgiveness for drug-related cases,” Joko said.

Joko continues to prioritize fighting an aggressive battle against criminals involved in the drugs trade, but he has been less keen to take on the tobacco industry, which kills far more Indonesians every year than drugs.

“There are 4.2 million people in rehabilitation centers. That’s a big number. If we can’t be decisive about eradicating drugs, the problem will never be over,” Joko said.

To deal with the growing number of drug users, the National Narcotics Board, or BNN, will increase the capacity of its rehabilitation facilities.

“Drug users need to be treated in rehabilitation centers,” BNN head Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar said. “They will not get better if we put them in jail. We admit that we still lack of rehabilitation centers. That’s why we need everyone in the country to work together with us.”

Indonesia was roundly condemned in January when it executed six people convicted of drug-trafficking. The governments of the Netherlands and Brazil both withdrew their ambassadors for consultations after a Dutchman and a Brazilian were killed by firing squad.

WHO calls for revamp after 'too slow' Ebola response

The head of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, has called for reform amid criticism of the body's response to the Ebola crisis. She warned against complacency despite progress in fighting the epidemic.

Deutsche Welle, 25 Jan 2015

A baby receives a vaccine during a routine doctor's visit at the Kuntorloh Community
 Health Centre in the outskirts of Freetown on November 14, 2014. AFP Photo/
Francisco Leong/Getty Images

Chan told a rare emergency session of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on Sunday that it had been too sluggish in responding to the recent Ebola crisis in West Africa, saying the agency should learn from its mistakes.

"This was West Africa's first experience with the virus and it delivered some horrific shocks and surprises," she said.

"The world, including WHO, was too slow to see what was unfolding before us," Chan admitted, adding that "never again should the world be caught by surprise, unprepared."

Chan went on to say that although the "worst-case scenario" had been avoided and progress in fighting the disease was evident in the three worst-hit countries - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the world should not let down its guard.

"Cases are clearly declining in all three countries, but we must maintain the momentum and guard against complacency and donor fatigue," she said, warning that cases of the disease could easily surge if bodies were buried unsafely or communities violently resisted attempts at disease prevention.

Zero target

She added that the WHO aimed to reduce the number of Ebola cases in the three countries this year "to zero," while admitting this was "not going to be easy."

Chan said the Ebola crisis
taught many lessons

In her speech, Chan called for a "dedicated contingency fund to support rapid responses to outbreaks and emergencies" and for help to be given to countries so they can maintain their own highly trained teams to react quickly to emergencies.

She also demanded better international coordination and surveillance and improved crisis management within WHO itself.

The director of the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Tom Frieden, also pointed out failings in the WHO reponse to the outbreak, calling for "significant changes."

"We have to be frank that too many times the technical is over-ruled by the political in WHO. We have to reverse that. It must be technical, from the selection of regional directors to the establishment of rapid response," he told the meeting.

African dissatisfaction

Sunday's meeting of the WHO executive board was called by several member states critical of the United Nations agency's slow response.

"Countries in the African region feel that building WHO's capacity to respond to emergencies must be a priority activity," said Liberia's deputy health minister Dr. Bernice Dahn, saying the Africa region had "been disappointed by slow progress."

The recent outbreak of Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever transmitted by body fluids, has left at least 8,641 people dead over the past year or so, most of them in West Africa, according to WHO estimates.

tj/bw (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

A medical worker checks the temperature of a man, in quarantine since his daughter

died from Ebola, in Omega town, a suburb of Monrovia, on January 21, 2015.The

World Health Organization said in its latest update that 8,688 people had died,

among a cumulative total of 21,759 cases. AFP Zoom Dosso/AFP/Getty Images 

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The district nurse makes a comeback - to decide on frontline care

DutchNews.nl, Wednesday 05 March 2014

Health minister Martin van Rijn
(Trouw/ANP)

The government is re-introducing the district-based nurse from next year as part of its plans to decentralise many long-term care services.

District nurses will be charged with deciding what services they will provide for people in their area in order to help them remain living in their own homes, junior health minister Martin van Rijn told parliament on Wednesday.

The cost of district nursing will be covered in the basic healthcare package.  This means health insurance companies will decide who should get the contracts, Trouw points out.

Costs

Draft legislation making the switch towards community nursing possible was sent to parliament on Wednesday.

MPs are largely agreed that community-based care is preferable to institutions but are divided on the role of health insurers in this, Trouw says.

In particular, opposition MPs are worried that insurers will go for the cheapest option and that district nurses will not be paid for other essential tasks such as coordinating with other care professionals.

Van Rijn has assured MPs more cash will be made available to pay for district nurses to have a coordinating role.

Premiums

Meanwhile, health minister Edith Schippers says the expected increase in healthcare premiums because of the switch to community-based nursing will be limited to €20 a year thanks to an extra injection of government funds.

There had been fears the premiums would rise by €200 to pay for the changeover. Long-term care is currently paid from out of a separate pot of money known as the AWBZ.

However, the extra government contribution will be phased out by 2019, Schippers said in a briefing to parliament. In addition, health insurers will be free to increase premiums for a basic policy by more than €20 because of other factors which have increased costs.

China targets US$1.3tn health service sector by 2020

Want China Times, Xinhua 2013-10-15

A syringe factory in Jiangxi. (Photo/Xinhua)

China has set the target of increasing the gross value of its health service sector to over 8 trillion yuan (US$1.31 trillion) by 2020, according to a guideline issued by the State Council on Monday.

More measures will be taken to boost this sector, which will serve to improve people's wellbeing as well as shoring up growth, said the guideline.

The health service industry covers medical services, health management, health insurance, and other supporting sectors related to pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, healthcare facilities and healthcare food.

New measures to increase private capital in the sector will include relaxing market admittance requirements for investment from non-governmental sources, and giving equal treatment to not-for-profit private medical institutions and public medical establishments.

The government will also simplify approval procedures for rehabilitation centers, hospitals for children and elderly patients, and nursing homes, according to the guideline.

China will encourage cooperation between medical establishments and nursing homes, so as to provide treatment of chronic diseases to elderly patients in local communities.

The guideline added that the government encourages insurance companies to diversify commercial health insurance products and vows to make the commercial insurance scheme cover more people.

Liu Guo'en, an expert tracking China's health reform and a professor at the Guanghua School of Management of Peking University, said the new policy aims to improve people's health from a life-cycle perspective.

It pays more attention to health management, highlighting early detection and early treatment of diseases through a health checkup, said Liu.

Han Xiaohong, president of Ciming Health Checkup Management Group, one of the largest healthcare checkup providers in China, hailed the supportive measures for private capital.

Four investment projects of Ciming have previously been vetoed by government authorities as they were located "too close to public hospitals," according to Han.

"Health checkup centers like us are not allowed to purchase nuclear magnetic resonance machines, limiting our services to customers," said Han.

With the new guideline in place, Han expected more detailed policies to be rolled out soon, so his company will be better positioned to compete with public hospitals.

First herbal community health center launched

Antara News, Sun, June 10 2012

Bogor, West Java (ANTARA News) - The first herbal community health center (Puskesmas) was launched in the Second Bogor Organic Fair (BOF) and the Indonesian Herbal Festival, here, Sunday.

Herbal medicines

The herbal Puskesmas was officially launched by Ning Harmanto of the Indonesian Social Entrepreneurship Association (AKSI), Sri Nuryati of the BOF II organizing committee, said.

A number of the fair`s visitors were given free medical checkups at the herbal Purkesmas after the launching.

The Second Bogor Organic Fair was organized by the Indonesian Organic Alliance in cooperation with the Bogor Municipality Administration, AKSI, and the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) at the IPB complex, from June 9 to 10, 2012.

The BOF and Indonesian Herbal Festival were organized to promote herbal products including herbal medicines such as "jamu".

Jamu should become a Indonesian brand widely known internationally, she said.

Chairman of the Indonesian Organic Alliance Sabastian Saragih said his organization has 79 members, including organic plant farmers in 20 provinces.

Related Articles:

RI to tap potential of traditional and herbal medicines

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Police detain suspect linked to journalist attack

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang | Fri, 08/06/2010 10:37 AM | The Archipelago

Police have detained a community health center manager suspected in connection with an assault on three journalists in Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara, earlier this week.

Manggarai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hambali said Thursday his team were taking the case seriously.

"The community health center manager is suspected of being responsible *for the attack*," Hambali said.

Police were questioning three other employees who would also be detained if they were found to have been involved in the attack, he said Thursday.

"Trust that the police will solve this case," Hambali said.

During the incident three journalists were beaten up by employees of Wango community health center who were allegedly infuriated by a report that made local headlines, that says the employees had been failing to attend work, putting people's lives at risk.

The three journalists - TVRI contributor Ferdi Ambo, Suara Flores weekly contributor Melki Pantur and Sukses Indonesia journalist Maksi M.D. - sustained serious facial injuries from the attack and were taken to RSUD Ruteng Hospital.

Center manager Albertus Wili Dugis denied involvement in the attack.

"I never beat up the journalists. There were three journalists who came to see me on Monday, but I didn't know they were journalists because they did not introduce themselves or carry an assignment letter," Albertus said Thursday at Manggarai police detention center.

The three journalists had asked questions in a harsh and unethical manner, he said.

"The way they were asking question was rude and in a high tone. They were asking about our working hours and our employees' performance. Some employees then took them out of the room directly. I didn't know they were being beaten up," Albertus said.

Melki earlier said he and his colleagues had gone to the health center to follow up reports that patients there had been forced to pay illegal fees and that many of the center's employees did not show up for work.

"We came to confirm the information with the center's officials," Melki said.

"The manager became emotional, uttering harsh words. Then other staff rushed in and beat us up. We couldn't fight back, because we were outnumbered."

First Lady tells regions to aspire to Tangerang

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Tue, 05/04/2010 4:56 PM |

First Lady Kristiani Yudhoyono told all regional administrations to learn from Tangerang municipality, which is now prioritizing the development of health infrastructure to improve the quality of its human resources.

“We all know that the basic development of society rests on health," Ani said in her inauguration speech of 120 newly built integrated health posts in Kelapa Dua subdistrict, Tangerang municipality on Tuesday.

Also present at the ceremony were a number of Cabinet ministers' wives, Banten deputy governor HM. Masduki, Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim, deputy mayor Arief R Wismansyah and the municipal councilors.

“Tangerang municipality has been able to build more than 100 health posts all at once out of its own budget. This a big achievement. The administration's health policy should be a model of national commitment to health. I am so proud of this,” Ani said.

Wahidin said the administration spent Rp 20 billion from the 2009 budget to build 120 health posts simultaneously.

“We have a total of 1,100 health posts spreading out in every community unit in 13 districts across the municipality. Most of them are in a poor condition. Therefore, in line with the 2009-2014 developmental vision and mission we aim to build 1,000 more health posts,” he said.

The administration also provided Rp 6 million in incentives to each center from the annual budget to support their operations.

"Surya Baksara Jaya" operation to be conducted in Ambon

Antara News, Thursday, April 1, 2010 14:45 WIB

Ambon (ANTARA News) - A health services provision program dubbed "Operation Surya Baksara Jaya" will be conducted at seven villages in Ambon July 29-August 3, in conjunction with the international marine event Sail Banda 2010.

"A similar program as part of Sail Banda 2010 will also be conducted in Banda Neira, Central Maluku district at the same time," Sail Banda local committee chairman Cak Saimima said here on Thursday.

He said the health operation activity by using floating hospital would be conducted at Mamala, Morella, Liang, Waai, Tulehu, Passo, and Hutumuri villages on the island of Ambon.

"The Surya Baksara Jaya health operation will be supported by the biggest United States Navy floating hospital USNS MERCY T-AH19," Saimima said.

Technically and aesthetically, the 273-meter long USNS MERCY T-AH19 with 955 medical personnel and doctors is arguably the most sophisticated vessel in its class to assist KRI Dr Soeharso in giving medical services to the people of Maluku.

Saimima said that the so-called Sailing Medical Service (SMS) program would also help the people in the districts of Buru Selatan, West Southeast Maluku (MTB), and Southwest Maluku (MBD) from April to August 2010.

"A health simulation program will be conducted in Ambon, Banda Neira, and MBD district town of Wonreli in Kisar island from July 1 to August 10," Saimima said.

He said naval ships from Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia would be sent to Maluku to support the Surya Baksara Jaya operation in the districts of West Seram, West Southeast Maluku, and Southwest Maluku.

The floating hospital`s operations will be coordinated the health ministry assisted by the Maluku health office and so will be the target areas of the Surya Baksara Jaya operation program.

"We welcome the support from the US, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore in the operation because indirectly they also promote Maluku`s tourism potential and the Sail Banda event," Saimima said.

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Most "Sail Banda" activities to take place in Ambon

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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.

Pregnant mother and two kids die after eating poisonous "Kebaddu" fish

Antara News, Monday, March 15, 2010 01:25 WIB

Kupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - A pregnant mother and her two children died in Ledengara village, East Nusa Tenggara province, after consuming poisonous fish on Sunday.

According to a local residents Lazarus Gie, Luha Weo, 34, and her kids, Tuka Aju, 9, and Wue Aju, 5, vomitted and lost consciousness before dying.

The poisonous fish that the residents of Ledengara village, Hawu Mehara sub-district, Sabu Raijua regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, call "Kebaddu" was also eaten by 14 other people.

But they could be saved after being rushed to a local public health center. "They remain under paramedical care," Gie said.

Luha Weo, her two children and 14 other residents of Menanga Kare coastal hamlet, Ledengara village, got the fish from two local fishermen, he said.

Luha Weo suddenly got a headache and lost consciousness two hours after eating the "Kebaddu" fish. As a result, she could not help her two children, he said.

Local residents took the ill-fated pregnant mother and her kids to the village public health center but they died there, Lazarus Gie said.

Sabu Raijua policemen have started investigating this case, and brought some of the cooked "Kebaddu" fish to the laboratory for testing, he said.

Endemic Leprosy in Subang

Tempo Interactive, Tuesday, 09 February, 2010 | 18:10 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Subang: The Subang Health Office has announced that leprosy is now endemic in the area, with patients spread in all sub-districts. “The scale is one per 10.000,” Wawan Setiawan, Subang Health Office chief, told Tempo yesterday.

In Subang’s 35 sub-districts, most of the patients are found in Binong, Tambakdahan, Patokbeusi, Purwadadi, Compreng and Ciasem. Around 130 patients are suffering from the MB type of leprosy and 105 people are suffering from the PB type. “To anticipate more spreading, we have formed a “Leprosy Care” in all areas,” Wawan said.

NANANG SUTISNA

City braces for dengue fever

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 02/05/2010 9:27 PM

The city health agency is gearing up to face a spike in dengue fever attacks as 914 cases have been recorded in two months.

Agency head Dien Emawati said on Friday her agency would provide 20 beds and medical staff in five community health centers, including in Ciracas in East Jakarta, Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta and Cilincing in North Jakarta.

“We will give priority to health centers that are far from hospitals. The patients won’t need to go to the hospital so we can reduce the burden on hospitals,” she said.

Dien added that doctors and nurses who would be assigned to the health centers would be selected from 313 new medical workers who were recruited last year.

The agency reported that the number of dengue fever cases reached 914 as of Feb. 3 this year, a 25 percent decline from the same period last year.

The first two months of 2009 saw 1,202 cases, with total incidents reaching 18,000.

Rp. 100 million in Government Funds to Operate 300 Community Health Centers

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 29 January, 2010 | 20:33 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Yogyakarta:The Health Department will test the Health Operation Aid (BOK) program for 300 community health centers (puskesmas) in seven regencies throughout Indonesia this year. Every community health center will get a budget of Rp. 100 million/year out of a total budget of Rp. 30 billion.

“The test will be conducted in seven regions, which are Java-Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara and Papua,” said Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih at the dialogue on Health Development Priorities for 2010-2014 in Kepatihan on Friday,.

Present at the event were State Minister for National Development Planning/Chairperson of the National Development Planning, Armida S. Alisjahbana, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Yogyakarta Mayor Herry Zudianto.

The BOK distribution, according to Endang, is aimed at improving the puskesmas’ performance, both in promoting and preventing health issues. The service includes family planning, nutrition and funding for village health posts, which has become community-based health initiatives.

“BOK is intended to support the Minimum Standard Services (SPM) in the process of speeding up the Millenium Development Goal’s target,” said Endang.

Un-tested puskesmas will still be allocated a Rp. 10 million budget per year. Today, there are 8200 puskesmas in all of Indonesia. She plans to allocate Rp. 10 million every month for 8500 puskesmas by 2011.

Besides the BOK distribution, the Heath Department will also increase the government-sponsored community health insurance (Jamkesmas) free membership to the poor.

The Health Department’s public communication chief, Lily Sulistyowati said that the Jamkesmas membership was one of the Health Department ‘s 100 days priority program and will be extended to three new groups, which are the poor victims of disasters, prison inmates and poor people living in public institutions.

‘In order provide health services to those three groups, an agreement has been signed between the Health Minister, the Justice and Rights Minister and the Social Welfare Minister,” said Lily.

BERNADA RURIT

German tourist found dead in Sabang

Antara News, Tuesday, January 12, 2010 23:04 WIB

Sabang, Aceh (ANTARA News) - A German tourist named Andreas Frank Lange (48) was found dead in a room of a bungalow in the Iboh holiday resort in Sabang on Tuesday.

Police and immigration officers were still collecting more information on the circumstances of Lange`s death, Helmi Ali, head of Sabang city`s tourism office, said.

Lange`s lifeless body was found in a sitting position by a fellow tourist at 16.00 west Indonesian Time and the happening was then reported to local authorities.

After Lange`s death was reported to the police, his body was taken to the Iboih community health center. "Until now, an investigation is still underway to establish the causes of his death," Helmi said.

The Sabang tourism office was also trying to contact the German embassy in Jakarta to inform it of Lange`s death and discuss what needed to be done with his body, whether it would be buried locally or taken care of by the embassy or his next of kin.

Lange who was born on June 23, 1962 had been in the Iboih holiday resort since a week ago.

His body is until now kept at the Iboih community health center, about 28 kilometers from the center of Sabang city. It would be transferred to Banda Aceh on Wednesday (Jan 13) via Sabang`s Balohan port.

City told health centers to tighten security

Indah Setiawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/11/2010 9:45 PM

Governor Fauzi Bowo has urged all community health centers in the city to tighten security following a kidnapping of a newborn boy at Kembangan health center in West Jakarta, on Friday last week.

He regretted that a stranger who claimed she was a nurse kidnapped the baby.

“We have warned all health centers that have birth services to tighten their security to avoid the crime repeating,” he said Monday.

Earlier that morning, deputy governor Prijanto visited Murtanti, the baby's mother, at Kembangan health center.

A baby taken away from its mother and never comes back

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/11/2010 9:51 AM

Murtanti, 33, lost her newly-born baby on Friday evening at Kembangan health center in West Jakarta, and she said Monday that she would not leave the health center without her baby, Tempointeraktif.com reported.

Murtanti gave birth to a boy on Friday morning. While the baby was on her lap, a lady disguising herself as a nurse came to her and told her that she would take the baby for immunization. Without hesitancy, Murtanti gave the baby to her. Hours later, she realized that the baby was taken away by an unidentified person.

Murtanti, accompanied by her sister Lestari, reported the case to the health center chief, who faulted her why she gave the baby to a lady wearing no uniforms. But Murtanti argued that no nurses wore uniforms that day. The health center chief, identified as Dara, then acknowledged that the nurses were not required to wear uniforms on every Friday.

Since the incident, the health center required all nurses to wear uniforms on all days, complete with health center ID cards.

Lestari then reported the case to the Kembangan police. Kembangan police chief Comr. Barnabas Imam Setiyono said that the police had questioned five witnesses, including Lestari, Murtanti, her husband Edi Sugianto, security guard Winoto and a nurse.

Police suspect that the baby kidnapping was conducted by a baby trading syndicate.

Related Article:

Police Arrest Nurse For Jakarta Baby Kidnapping, Newborn Returned to Parents

Yudhoyono to Evaluate Jamkesmas

Tempo Interactive, Friday, 08 January, 2010, 19:50 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he will evaluate the Community Health Insurance Program (Jamkesmas) and the Health Operational Support Program. At a cabinet meeting yesterday, the president stressed that the program should run properly. As such, he will ask the Health Minister to present the implementation of the two programs in public.

As for the Jamkesmas, the president also wanted to see some improvement and an accurate target. Meanwhile for the Health Operational Support, the president said he wanted community health centers (puskesmas) to be reactivated and empowered again.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said her department will allocate Rp 10 million each for 8.500 community health centers this year to improve their services to the public.

Dwi Riyanto Agustiar

East Java to improve services at health centers

Indra Harsaputra, THE JAKARTA POST, Surabaya | Mon, 11/16/2009 2:34 PM

The East Java provincial administration pledges to improve the health services at its community health centers with development programs set to form next year.

East Java Health Agency chief Pawik Supriadi said the administration had allocated Rp 6 billion (US$640,000) to the programs.

"We have designed three programs to optimize health centers that will be implemented from 2010 to 2014," Pawik said.

The three programs, he said, included changing outpatient health centers to inpatient ones, incorporating inpatient and specialist services into regular health centers and developing subsidiary health centers that provide emergency treatment.

There are currently more than 4,200 health centers in East Java employing over 34,000 paramedics. Nearly 950 are fully serviced, more than 2,200 are mobile and more than 1,200 are subsidiaries.

"Next year we will develop 10 health centers with inpatient services," Pawik said. "This number will increase to 15 by 2011."

He also said his agency planned to implement 21 centers annually between 2012 and 2014.

The number of standard inpatient health centers will be increased by 10 next year and by 15 the following year.

The agency, he added, also planned to increase the number of subsidiary health centers, providing emergency treatment, to 25 by next year and 200 by the end of 2014.

Pawik said his office had allocated funds for equipment for eight inpatient and other service health centers in the province. Each will receive Rp 230 million.

Equipment funds have also been prepared to improve inpatient services at 10 health centers, worth Rp 100 million each. Twenty-five other similar packages, worth Rp 60 million each, have been prepared for subsidiary health centers.

Pawik said a budget of Rp 1.4 billion was allocated to improve human resources and another Rp 300 million was allocated for supervision and monitoring.

"The program will provide people with accessible and affordable access to health services in their respective regions," Pawik said.

"This is a great advantage for residents as medical treatment at local hospitals is expensive."

Surabaya Health Agency chief Esty Martiana Rachmie said the program was expected to reduce malnutrition in the municipality.

"We expect to lower the number of malnutrition cases in the municipality to less than 1 percent," Esty said.

Esty said to deal with malnutrition her office had integrated health centers and health service posts by bringing officials together from their respective district administrations.

"We are also forming a team to enhance communication and data collection," she said.

A research conducted by the municipal health agency shows of more than 250,000 children aged under five years in Surabaya, 300 suffer from malnutrition.

Ninety percent are from North Surabaya, including Pegirian, Semampir, Sidotopo, Wonokusumo and Gadang.

Separately, Baktiono, the municipal legislative council deputy chairman of Commission D overseeing the issue, called on the administration to ask that residents not pay for medical treatment at health centers and third-class hospitals, arguing that many economically disadvantaged families could not afford it.

Govt to set up child trauma centers in Padang, Pariaman

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 10/08/2009 9:11 PM

The National Education Ministry, in collaboration with the National Commission for Child Protection, will build 32 trauma centers across the quake-hit West Sumatra towns of Padang and Pariaman, focusing on children, an official said Thursday.

Commission chairman Seto Mulyadi said last week's devastating earthquake will have caused deep trauma among children in the area.

"The centers will help heal children of their psychological illnesses resulting from the quake. We have found children suffering from insomnia, or who talk or scream in their sleep and are fearful of strangers or sudden movements," Seto told tempointeraktif.com.

He added five trauma centers were now in operation, and another12 would be set up.

“Our target is 32 centers, in both Padang and Pariaman," he said.

Seto suggested parents and teachers refrain from forcing traumatized children to go to school yet.

"Let them spend time at our centers until they mentally recover," he said.

Besides psychological counseling, the centers will also provide basic education material for children.