Sanitation still serious concern

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Fri, 03/20/2009

A sanitation workshop held in Jakarta this week concluded that 30 percent, or 70 million Indonesians, are still without toilets — leading to the outbreak of preventable diseases and serious economic losses.

The hefty figure was attributed to a lack of sanitation facilities and poor awareness of the proper management of domestic wastewater.

“More than 100 million people in 30,000 villages still do not have access to public sanitation facilities,” Budi Hidayat, director for settlement and housing affairs at the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), told the forum Wednesday.

“However, the sanitation problem related to domestic wastewater is also a matter of habits that are hard to break.”

The problem has caused serious losses and major outbreaks of preventable diseases in the country, he told The Jakarta Post.

“Around 165,000 people in Jakarta suffered from diarrhea last year,” Nugroho Tri Utomo, the head of the directorate’s water sanitation division, said at the event.

“We can also recall the diarrhea outbreak in Serang [West Java] in February, which caused the death of a 10-month old baby, and the cholera outbreak in Papua that killed 172 people in July last year.”

These outbreaks and other more localized incidents not only harm the body but also the state budget, Gary Swisher from the World Bank said at the forum.

“Poor sanitation costs the Indonesian economy US$6.3 billion per year in 2006, equivalent to 2.3 percent of the country’s GDP,” he said.

Swisher explained that figure included 120 million disease-induced incidents and 50,000 child deaths, valued at $3.3 billion, as well as cost of degraded land, valued at $96 million.

Disease outbreaks and environmental damage due to poor sanitation also affected the country’s tourism industry, he continued. “The 2006 cost of lost tourism from poor sanitation was valued at $166 million.”

These sanitation problems will likely lead to the government’s failure to realize its 2005-2009 national development plan, which includes targets such as being 100 percent free of open defecation and decreasing domestic wastewater-induced river pollution by 50 percent.

According to Nugroho, the government has not made sanitation one of its main priorities in infrastructure development.

“The sanitation programs are often misdirected. For example, the government often targets rich areas for its sewerage building program, but the rich will not participate in the program because they have their own sewerage system, which they think is adequate enough.”

The program does not take into account people from the lower economic strata, he said.

“They assume that the poor cannot or will not pay for the facilities. However, those people are in fact willing to pay and they are the ones most affected by poor sanitation.”

Nugroho said future sanitation programs must treat poor people as partners and not objects.

“The people living in the areas where the program is held must have a say on how they want the sanitation system to be.”

He explained that people are reluctant to use toilets provided by the government because they did not actively participate nor finance their construction.

“Active participation, along with effective lectures on sanitation, will help build awareness on hygiene,” Nugroho said. (dis)

50% of Jakarta’s Professionals May Be Literally Sick of Work Due to Air Quality

The Jakarta Globe, Dessy Sagita, February 19, 2009 

Half of Jakarta’s office workers may suffer from “sick building syndrome,” or SBS, in which health problems are blamed on toxic substances inside buildings, according to the results of a study released on Wednesday. 

The study, conducted by the Association of Public Health Experts, or IAKMI, monitored.

400 people in 18 companies from July 2008 to January 2009. It found that half of all workers who spend at least eight hours a day in an office building have experienced acute discomfort, including headaches, respiratory problems, fatigue, dry cough and sore throats. 

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, SBS is a situation “in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.” 

A 1984 World Health Organization Committee report said up to 30 percent of new buildings worldwide may be the subject of air-quality complaints, the EPA says. 

“Many people do not realize that staying in a building for a certain period will expose them to sick building syndrome, which poses potentially fatal risks in the long term,” said Budi Haryanto, head of environmental health studies for IAKMI. 

Budi said SBS was caused by flawed ventilation and air-conditioning systems that produce molds and fungus. Dirty indoor air can also be aggravated by photocopy machines, laser printers and other machines, as well as dirt in carpets, curtains and furniture. 

Budi said long-term exposure to pollutants could lead to cancer and heart disease, while less severe symptoms may result in difficulty concentrating, paranoia and even depression. “It may sound harmless but over the long term it can be fatal,” Budi said. 

Budi said that the problem was aggravated in Jakarta by outdoor air pollution.

More Rohingyas Arrive in Aceh

The Jakarta Globe, Nurdin Hassan & Ismira Lutfia, February 4, 2009 

Banda Aceh. A boat carrying 198 ethnic Rohingyas from Burma, who claim to have been set adrift by Thai soldiers 21 days earlier, was found in the Malacca Sea on Tuesday. An Indonesian fishing vessel towed the boat to a port in East Aceh, bringing the number of Rohingya boat people stranded in Aceh Province over the last few weeks to 391, officials said. 

The 15-meter long boat, which did not have a name, a flag or an engine, was towed to the small Kuala Idi harbor in East Aceh district, according to Abubakar, a port official there. 

“Upon arrival at the harbor, around 4 a.m., some of them collapsed because they were very weak. Local fishermen helped them, giving them food and drink,” Abubakar said. 

The Kuala Idi marine outpost commander, Second Lt. Tedi Sutardi, said the men claimed they had previously tried to land in Thailand. 

“But Thai soldiers towed them back to the sea and cut the rope, so that they were left to drift for 21 days without food or drink. There are clear traces of beatings on them,” Tedi said. 

That incident spurred an outcry by human rights groups claiming that the Thai soldiers had disregarded the rights of the displaced people, whom they consider as refugees. 

Leaders of the Rohingyas, residents of Burma’s western Arakan State, have long claimed persecution by the country’s military government, with tens of thousands having fled to Bangladesh and other places in recent years. 

The Thai government has said the Rohingyas are merely seeking economic opportunity and are illegal immigrants. 

Volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross and local residents took survivors to a hospital in Idi. “The people of Idi are very concerned for them because [the Rohingyas] are fellow Muslims. Many of the people took some of the survivors to their homes to provide them with food, clothes and allow them to clean themselves,” Abubakar said. 

Abdul Munir, an East Aceh district official, said that the Rohingnyas would be temporarily sheltered in a vacant house owned by the Idi Rayeuk subdistrict chief. Local district authorities also set up a soup kitchen there. 

“One of them, Rahmat, can speak Malay. According tho him, they had numbered 220 but that 22 had starved to death. They had been adrift at sea for 21 days,” Abdul said. 

“As long as they are here, their food and other needs will be covered by the East Aceh district administration. But the local population are also very enthusiastic in helping. They have contributed clothes, rice and other food,” he added. 

Idi general hospital director, Edi Gunawan, said that 91 of the Rohingyas were being treated for dehydration. 

“All patients, including a 13-year-old, have been given intravenous treatment to restore the liquid level in their body, but in general, they are all in good condition. They are mostly weak because of not having eaten for days,” Edi said. 

A boat carrying 193 other Rohingyas was found off the northern tip of Aceh on Jan. 7. That group had also been adrift at sea and most were too weak to disembark on their own. 

The 193, which included 19 Bangladeshis, have been sheltered at a Navy base on the island, but have since been off limits to the media.  

Photo: Nurullah, a 20-year-old Rohingya from Myanmar, receives medical treatment Wednesday at a local hospital after being rescued off the coast of Aceh Province. (Tarmizy Harva, Reuters)

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Jember flood victims suffer from diarrhea, rashes

The Jakarta Post, Jember | Mon, 02/02/2009 8:04 PM  

Dozens of flood victims in two villages in Jember regency are suffering from diarrhea and rashes following floods that have ravaged the area over the past three days. 

According to kompas.com, the diseases are affecting residents of Paseban and Kraton villages. 

Kraton village head Edi Winoto said Sunday that at least three people in the village had contracted diarrhea, while many others were experiencing rashes. 

“We have prepared rescue teams responsible to give medical aid and treatments for those suffering from the diseases,” he said, adding that the teams also had enough medical stock to anticipate possible high numbers of flood victims. 

As of Sunday morning, he added, floodwaters had begun to recede, thus allowing some residents to return and clean up their homes. 

“But we are still on alert, because floods could return immediately if heavy rains pour down our villages,” he said. (ewd)

Earthquake survivors suffer illnesses

Nethy Dharma Somba and Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Manokwari, Jakarta | Wed, 01/07/2009 11:19 AM 

Residents of the Sidey district of the Manokwari regency, some 120 kilometers from Manokwari city, have been exposed to numerous illnesses following a 7.6 magnitude earthquake which hit on Jan 3., with five toddlers suffering from diarrhea and a number of adults contracting malaria and respiratory infections. 

"Medical attendants at the Sidey community health center have so far treated five infants with diarrhea and adults showing signs of respiratory infections," Andarias Moktis, a medical attendant at the clinic told reporters. 

A two-month old infant, Ones, who is suffering from diarrhea, slept soundly on the floor of the Sidey village hall as his mother Dina Waramuy and grandmother Welmina Krey sat nearby. 

"He has been suffering from diarrhea over the past two days, but has been treated," Dina said. 

She added that she had contracted a headache and was starting to catch a fever. "I also don't feel well," she said. 

During their stay in makeshift tents, residents have been taking water from the nearby river to drink. "There is no firewood to cook. We drink water directly from the river," said Henri, another survivor. 

As many as 45 families, or around 200 people in Sidey villages, have taken refuge from the quake. 

Those who have the means can afford to buy tarpaulins to shelter them from the elements, but those who do not are forced to stay under the trees and shrubs and sleep on dried leaves. 

"Due to such conditions, they easily fall sick, because they drink raw water and sleep without cover," local resident Andarisa Moktis said. 

"We request immediate help. Relief aid is gathering in the city, but we are not cared for because we have not received assistance as of this moment," Henri, a local teacher, said. 

Evacuees said they would return home only if the government officially stated that it was safe to do so, as they continue to feel mild tremors. 

The official death toll from the quake currently stands at five, including Antonius Mansai, 65, who died on Jan. 5 at around 5 a.m. local time during a subsequent 5.5 magnitude quake. 

"He died of shock. During the quake, he fell and died," West Papua Vice Governor Rahimin Katjong told reporters in Manokwari. 

The other victims have been identified as Yolanda Mandosi (10) and Antonius Mansai (65) from Manokwari city; Dominggus Yekwan (36), Avit Yesnat (9), and Novelina Mofu (3) from Abun district, Sorong regency. They all died after being buried by rubble. 

Meanwhile, the government claimed Tuesday that it had managed to deal with the impacts of the powerful earthquakes in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua. 

After meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to report on mitigation efforts, Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said that the central and provincial administration had jointly overcome the impacts of the earthquakes that started to hit the city early Sunday morning. 

"The government was quick to respond to the earthquakes, that is why the mitigation efforts have run well and the destruction has not been really severe. The local administration also responded by immediately building makeshift shelters," Djoko told a press briefing at the presidential office. 

Following the president's instruction, Djoko and three other ministers visited the region on Monday to deliver cash aid and supplies. 

"We have disbursed Rp 2.25 billion ($US210,000) in cash along with food and medical supplies, ambulances and water purifiers," he said, adding that the government was still calculating losses. 

The minister said the government would accelerate the reconstruction of damaged buildings and infrastructure in the coastal city, which included seven bridges and two roads. 

"We have dispatched a team to monitor the damaged buildings and expect them to report the results within the next 10 days."

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)

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.

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Psychiatric Hospitals Inundated With People Seeking Help Following Layoffs

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.

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.

Referral opens trauma treatment center

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Smarting from flaws in the trauma healing of victims of disaster, Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) introduced Tuesday a post-traumatic stress clinic offering a new approach to mental illness.

Apart from victims of disaster, the clinic seeks to treat victims of domestic violence.

RSCM managing director Akmal Taher said the clinic would not only provide medical treatment, but would also serve as a center for studies on post-traumatic stress.

The clinic, the first of its kind in Jakarta, is meant to be the national referral center for treatment of post-traumatic stress, Akmal said.

Over the last two years, the state-owned hospital has treated nearly 1,000 victims of abuse, mostly women and children, with 80 percent of them having been victims of domestic violence.

The coordinator of the clinic, Suryo Dharmono, said over 60 percent of violence victims were likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress, a psychological disorder marked by three main symptoms: avoidance, hyper arousal and flashbacks that last for more than a month.

"Psychological treatment for these victims of violence was previously neglected. We used to only have the psychiatry department, which patients don't want to be referred to, as they don't think they're suffering from mental illness.

"That's why we decided to open this clinic, which provides comfortable, private waiting and consultation rooms, and is separated (from other sections of the psychiatry department), just exactly as the patients need," said Suryo.

He said without proper treatment, victims of violence, especially children, could experience permanent negative changes in behavior and become perpetrators of abuse when they grew up.

Akmal said 50 percent of people living in disaster-prone areas might suffer from significant psychological stress, with the number of those experiencing post-traumatic stress ranging from 10 to 30 percent.

Suryo added that 37 percent of the victims of the 2004 Aceh tsunami were still suffering from post-traumatic stress even though three years had passed since the deadly catastrophe.

The clinic will also be open to individuals traumatized by other events, such as terror bombings, riots, social and political conflicts and traffic accidents.

Akmal said the clinic would apply both psychotherapy and pharmaco therapy in treating patients, depending on the results of early assessments.

The former would include cognitive behavior therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, counseling, homecare and hotline services, while the latter would include the use of anti-depressants.

The clinic, whose establishment received support from the Pfizer Foundation, is open to low-income patients holding either Gakin or Askeskin cards.

Gakin is the healthcare for the poor funded by the Jakarta administration, while Askeskin is funded by the central government. (wda)

Balikpapan seeing more mental illness lately

Nurni Sulaiman, The Jakarta Post, Balikpapan

The city of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan has seen a rise in the number of cases of mental illness, a development observers are blaming on economic hardships in the area.

The head of the rehabilitation and social services unit at the Balikpapan Community Empowerment Office (KPM), Andi Hasrah, said that based on a survey of families, a majority of cases of mental illness were triggered by economic difficulties.

"However, among the younger patients, we often found drug abuse as the main cause," said Hasrah.

The number of patients in the city seeking care for mental disorders reached 28 in 2006, according to the KPM. That number increased to 47 in 2007, while in January of this year, there were 13 new patients.

Hasrah said it was unusual that in 2006 and 2007, most of the patients seeking care for mental disorders were city residents.

"In the past year, 99 percent of patients came from the city, a stark contrast from the situation in 2005 when most of them came from outside the city, such as Makassar, Bondowoso and Banjarmasin," said Hasrah, who has been dealing with social issues in Balikpapan for dozens of years and is currently running a shelter for mentally ill patients on Jl. MT Haryono in Balikpapan.

According to a recent survey by the KPM, the increasing number of mentally ill people in the city had a lot to do with household problems triggered by economic troubles and the high unemployment rate in the province.

Hasrah expressed concern over the rising number of people in the city seeking care for mentally illnesses, saying the KPM lacked the funds to deal with the problem.

The city administration disbursed just Rp 50 million (about US$5,500) to the group in 2007, despite the fact that the KPM spent Rp 72 million treating 47 patients.

"Rupiah 50 million is only enough to send 19 patients to the mental hospital in Samarinda. Last year, the city administration delivered 29 patients," he said.

The KPM is working with Atma Husada Mental Hospital in Samarinda to treat the patients.

According to Hasrah, most of the patients are aged between 20 and 60 years. The KPM often has trouble determining patients' names and towns when they arrive.

"We will have them cross-checked after they have undergone the standard treatment. If they come from outside the island, we will return them to their places of origin and the municipality will cover their travel cost," said Hasrah.

Those who are from the city will be returned to their families after treatment, while patients with no families will be placed in orphanages or homes for the elderly.

The treatment duration varies between two weeks and years. After patients are treated, they must undergo a post-rehabilitation period where they are continuously monitored to ensure they continue to show progress.

Bandung herbal shop offers alternative remedies for all

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Babah Kuya shop on the corner behind the Pasar Baru building in Bandung is small but very popular among those in search of alternative remedies in the West Java capital.

Open daily at six, the shop seems to have no holiday. No doctor practices there and it isn't even a drug store.

Siti Aminah, a resident of Balonggede in Regol, has been a customer since she married in 1967. Her husband, 61-year-old Arif Suwanda, said he went there to purchase herbs every time she was to deliver a baby.

"We're just civil servants whose salaries were not enough to support our nine children.

"Like it or not, we have to find cheaper medicine which has no bad side effects to treat illness," the 57-year-old told The Jakarta Post while at the shops buying turmeric and other herbs to treat constipation.

She said their confidence in the shop increased after Arif was cured from a liver disease in 1995.

"If we sought treatment from a doctor or hospital for the liver disease, the costs would have been enormous," Siti said.

Helping those with meager incomes is what motivates 74-year-old Iwan Setiadi and 53-year-old Memey Maria Heryati, the couple who run the shop, to keep stay in the business of selling herbs.

Four generations back on Iwan's side, in the 1800s, Tan Siu How started the shop.

Iwan said, "More buyers come. We never raise prices too high since we want to help those with low incomes who can't afford to go to the doctor." His real name is Sie Tjoe Hing, but he speaks Dutch and English better than Mandarin.

The shop, housed in a Dutch-era building, sells around 2,000 different dried plants and herbs from across the country in the form of leaves, roots, fruits and woods. Some have been ground into powder.

Iwan said the business now has a much larger inventory than it did when he inherited it 21 years ago.

He said the store sells 11 types of roots -- from basic perfume ingredients to papaya root, as well as various leaves used to treat ailments from obesity to diabetes.

Herbs range from Rp 3,000 per kilogram to Rp 200,000 per kg for the most expensive -- binahong tree leaves usually used to treat heart disease or help heal recent sutures.

Customers have only to describe their illness and the four shop attendants, as well as Iwan and Memey, are happy to provide information on what herbs to use, how often and how to prepare them.

"Sometimes, there are those who are reluctant to drink the herbal concoctions since they taste very bitter. But we deal with the problem by adding stevia leaves which are very sweet," Memey said.

She said that in the past headaches and colds were the common complaints but that high cholesterol, blood pressure and heart disease were more common now.

Current research and new findings on herbal medicine have caused Iwan -- who learned his trade from his grandfather and has increased his knowledge by reading literature and attending seminars -- to become very cautious in deciding what herbs to sell.

"If the herb could be abused, like kecubung -- a plant with a large trumpet-shaped flower, which can intoxicate people, we don't sell it, although it can cure," said Iwan, who dreams of setting up a factory to produce chemical-free herbal medicine.

In an effort to protect customers, the couple also takes new plants and herbs they plan to sell in the shop to Bandung Institute of Technology's pharmaceutical lab or to drug producer Kimia Farma to be examined.

They also carefully select their supply of herbs. Plants and herbs for medicinal purpose should be dried in the sun -- not in dyers -- and shouldn't be heated, they said. Also, they should be stored in wooden, metal or glass containers.

"We take herbs and plants only from suppliers who have been in the business for generations, so they know what they are selling," said Iwan.

One out of five Denpasar's teens depressed: Survey

Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

A recent study suggests one out of five teenagers in Denpasar has suffered from depression or other serious mental illnesses over the last six months.

The survey, conducted by psychiatrist Lely Setyawati at senior high schools in Denpasar, came about after Lely worked with teenagers at Amerta Youth Center, a clinic for teens at Sanglah Hospital.

She said teenagers coming to the clinic were frustrated with various problems, ranging from conflict with parents, boyfriends or girlfriends to inability to escape bad living environments.

In the survey of 500 teens from Denpasar, said Lely, many teens admitted feeling sad and unhappy much of the time.

Others said they were easily tired, had little spirit, found it hard to concentrate, had no self-confidence and felt useless. Many felt uncertain about their futures.

Lely called these feelings the symptoms of serious depression, and said she was surprised by the findings.

"It turned out that almost 20 percent of respondents were suffering from depression. This was beyond my prediction."

She said she planned to expand her survey to other parts of Bali.

"From the survey we at least know the teenage situation in Denpasar is not much different from that in other big cities. The different is, social control is still high in Bali, such as from members of banjar neighborhood unit, making many teenagers slow to display inappropriate behavior.

"Unfortunately, the same social control makes teenagers reluctant to consult psychologists when they are facing problems," Lely said.

Child psychiatrist Endah Ardjana, the teen center's coordinator, said teens were at the age when a person not be considered neither a child nor a grown-up.

"Teenagers are in the transition period," she said. "They often experience unstable mental conditions."

Currently, the center assists youngsters overcome drug addiction, survive physical and sexual abuse and work through premature sexual relations.

Endah said most teens seeking assistance at the center had serious cases of depression, likely due to their feelings of shame in telling their stories or consulting experts.

Both Lely and Endah regularly visit junior and senior high schools to spread awareness on the need to maintain physical and mental health, and to aware of the consequences of sexual activity.

They also inform teens about the center, which promises confidentiality and offers the services of a team of specialists, including gynecologists and psychiatrists.

Dozens of teachers suffering depression

PEKANBARU, Riau (Jakarta Post): Dozens of teachers in Indragiri Hilir regency in Riau suffered acute depression last year, an official said Thursday.

The regency's administration has yet to pinpoint the exact cause of their mental condition, but assumed it was caused by their poor working environment.

"There were 13 teachers suffering acute depression last year. We will send them to mental hospital for intensive treatment as soon as possible," head of Indragiri Hilir Sport, Youth, and Education Office, Pahrolrozi, said.

He said the mentally ill teachers were temporarily prohibited from teaching. Some of them were employed as full time civil servants and the others worked on a contractual basis.

"We were surprised to find them in that condition. We will send them to receive intensive therapy and hope they will recover soon," Pahrolrozi said.

He said many teachers had suffered other health problems aswell, especially hearth attacks. Three teachers had heart failures and four others died suddenly without showing any symptoms of illness, he said.

Pahrolrozi said he would rotate all teaching positions in the region so as to prevent teachers from becoming bored or stressed.

The administration will also give teachers a pay rise amounting to Rp 1 million (US$110) per month for each teacher.

The allowance increase is aimed to encourage them to teach better, he said, adding that the funds were already approved in the 2008 regional budget. -- JP

Minister barking mad over 'tree man' samples going abroad

The Jakarta Post

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said that the government would send an official letter to Anthony Gaspari, a dermatologist at the University of Maryland, to question his taking abroad of tissue and blood samples from an Indonesian patient without official authorization.

The minister issued the statement Sunday after visiting the patient, Dede, who is being treated in Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung, for epidermo-displacia and giant cutaneous horn, which have severely disfigured him. The dry tree bark-like appearance of his skin had earned Dede the sobriquet "Tree Man".

"Samples are very important, particularly for infections caused by viruses. If (the samples are taken abroad, they could become lucrative commodities," she said.

"Therefore, the state reserves the right to authorize the removal from the country of samples. Whatever the reasons are ... Dr. Anthony Gaspari never contacted the Indonesian authorities before he conducted a biopsy on Dede and took the samples abroad," she said.

Dede's condition became public knowledge after RCTI TV broadcast a Discovery Channel documentary on his plight earlier this month. Rather unsympathetically titled Half Man, Half Tree, the documentary was so moving that after watching it President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Kristiani Herawati called Siti Fadilah Supari and asking the minister to prioritize Dede's treatment.

The Discovery Channel paid Dede US$500 for appearing in the documentary, and brought Gaspari to Indonesia to examine him.

The minister also asked the media not to exploit the suffering of people afflicted with serious illnesses, like Dede, merely for the sake of profit.

"How much money did he get from the documentary? It is a matter of human rights. Do not take advantage of these people. They should be given enough money to treat their illness," she said.

Police confiscate uncertified pills, capsules after raid

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta Police announced Monday they confiscated thousands of pills and capsules after raiding the Grand Boutique office complex in Mangga Dua, North Jakarta.

The head of organized crime in the narcotics division of the city police, Adj. Sr. Comr. Aldrin MP Hutabarat, said the alleged owner of the drugs, Tjong Ferdinand alias Ferdi, was also arrested during Thursday's raid.

"We found 43 different varieties of uncertified drugs and two types of jamu (traditional medicine) that contained hazardous substances," he told reporters at the city police headquarters.

Ferdi could be charged with violating several articles of the 1992 law on uncertified drugs, he added.

Most of the confiscated drugs were imported from other countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and Germany. The jamu was produced in Indonesia.

The drugs are usually prescribed to treat illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Various types of multivitamins were also found during the raid.

Police are yet to calculate the total value of the drugs.

Aldrin said his team had been investigating the case for more than a month.

"The drug dealer had an organized work system. He opened his stockroom for buyers between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. everyday.

"He bought the medicines in car-to-car transactions and someone was always monitoring the situation so he could run away if there was a raid," he said.

Aldrin declined to speculate on who Ferdi's supplier was, as the suspect is still at large.

Ferdi's customers were predominately drug sellers from the Greater Jakarta area, Aldrin said.

He said that although the imported drugs may not contain hazardous substances, they needed to be certified by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) before being sold.

In August, the city police in cooperation with the BPOM confiscated various types of medicine, food and cosmetics that contained hazardous substances from eight factories and retail stores in Greater Jakarta.

Coronary heart disease risk higher for city dwellers

National News - November 12, 2007

Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Big city excitement, if part of an unhealthy lifestyle, increases risk of serious illnesses, including coronary heart disease, a cardiologist said.

"The lifestyle of people in big cities like Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung means they no longer have time to pay attention to their health," Sari S. Mumpuni, a cardiologist from the Jakarta Heart and Vascular Center at Mitra Keluarga Hospital, told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on Saturday.

The rush hour traffic that people in the big city face as soon as they wake every morning caused stress, she said.

"When they arrive at work, they prefer to use elevators to reach their office. And at the office all they do is sit at a desk facing a computer until the workday ends."

"Such a lifestyle becomes even worse because of a preference for junk food lunches, eaten because people don't want to waste time," Sari said.

"All of those aspects are classified as modified risk factors for coronary heart disease."

Coronary heart disease occurs when fatty material and a substance, known as plaque, builds up on the walls of arteries, causing them to narrow. This can slow or even stop blood flow to the heart.

Sari said that symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath often occurred, especially when patients were in the middle of activities like walking or stepping on a ladder.

"At that time the patients will feel cramps in the left side of the chest which usually spread to the back, the neck and the upper left arm."

She said these were general symptoms that often occur and would last around five to 10 minutes.

"But most people are ignorant of these symptoms.

"So, even though medical research and technology on coronary heart disease has advanced, it doesn't help much to reduce the number of patients because of the lack of awareness of symptoms and preventive measures."

She added that other risk factors that couldn't be modified were age, sex and family history.

"Men in their 40s have a higher risk of coronary heart disease than women. But if your father or mother has a record of heart attack, especially if they have it before 50, then you should accept that you are also classified as part of the high-risk group," Sari said.

She added that it did not surprise her that coronary heart disease was listed as the number one killer in the country.

Unfortunately there is no accurate study on the number of people who suffer from coronary heart disease in Indonesia. However, rough estimates see an annual increase that may be as much as 50-percent.

Sari said in the United States alone there were around five million peopled who suffered from the disease.