Two-year-old Selvana Tayapo, who suffered from malnutrition and a lung infection, passed away at Agats Regional General Hospital.
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Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa
Assistance in the form of food, medicines and medical personnel are prepared to be distributed to community health centers (puskesmas) in eight districts, consisting of 28 villages in Agats district, Asmat regency, Papua, on Sunday (28/1). Medical personnel and doctors will serve in the villages for five days by providing food, vaccines and medicines to areas that have thus far been difficult to reach.
AGATS, KOMPAS – Two-year-old Selvana Tayapo, who suffered from malnutrition and a lung infection, passed away at Agats Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Asmat regency, Papua, on Sunday at 7 a.m. Selvana’s passing brought the total number of children to have died from malnutrition and measles between September 2017 and January 28, 2018, to 71. “The girl is from Kaemo village in Siret district,” Agats hospital director Richard Mirino said on Sunday.
Selvana was brought from her village to Agats hospital on Saturday, Jan 20.. However, as the hospital was at full capacity, she was placed at the hall of the local Indonesian Protestant Church (GPI) with other patients, all of whom receive regular medical care. On Wednesday at 4 p.m., Selvana was transferred to Agats hospital as she required intensive care.
“After we placed the patient in the hospital, her parents took her out of the hospital. We did not know where they went. Most likely they went back home. They were afraid when we put an oxygen mask on the girl. They were scared the oxygen mask would worsen the child’s condition. Eventually, they left the hospital,” Richard said.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Selvana was brought back to the hospital in a worsened condition. When she arrived at the hospital’s emergency room, she fell unconscious and was immediately placed in the high care unit. Her condition continued to worsen and she died on Sunday at 7 a.m. Selvana’s body was then transported back to her village on a speed boat.
“We have urged all patients not to leave the hospital and return home before full recovery because this will be bad for them. Many of them are afraid when we want to put oxygen masks on them, despite it being for their own safety,” Richard said.
Currently, six children suffering from malnutrition are receiving medical care in Agats hospital’s hall. In the hospital’s children’s ward, there are 10 children suffering from malnutrition and another six with measles. In the hospital’s high care unit (HCU), there are another three suffering from malnutrition. Meanwhile, in the GPI church hall, there are 44 children with severe malnutrition and three with malnutrition in recovery.
Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa
Workers unload oxygen cylinders to supply Agats General Hospital, in Agats district, Asmat regency, Papua on Sunday (28/1). Outbreaks of measles and malnutrition in Asmat have forced hospitals to intensify their efforts to prepare to treat patients.
Combing villages
The Asmat malnutrition and measles health emergency task force deployed on Sunday 130 volunteers from the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, the Health Ministry and the regency administration to comb 28 local villages. Task force commander Brig. Gen. Asep Setia Gunawan said it was the second deployment. The first team was deployed on Jan. 16 and returned on Jan. 24.
“The second team will visit the villages we have yet to visit. The team will stay in these villages for five days. Their task is to find out if there are any villagers suffering from measles, malnutrition and other diseases that require medical attention,” Asep said.
The team includes medical doctors and carries vaccines and medicines to treat the diseases the team expects to find in the targeted areas.
Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) has deployed the Agats Disaster Response Unit (Deru), comprising seven members and led by UGM community service directorate secretary Rachmawan Budiarto and community empowerment sub-directorate head Nanung Agus Fitriyanto.
Contacted from Yogyakarta on Sunday, Rachmawan said the university had deployed two Deru teams on Wednesday and Thursday last week. “We have also prepared another team from UGM with more members for a medium-term multidisciplinary program,” he said. The team will install a 200-watt-peak solar panel system at a local community health center (puskesmas) to support the healthcare services.
In Timika, Papua Health Development Acceleration unit (UP2KP) community emergency response division head Darwin Rumbiak said that UP2KP’s field observations had discovered that only three local regions had been allocated the required 15 percent of the special autonomy (otsus) fund for healthcare. These three regions are Jayapura municipality and regency and Sarmi regency. “Many other regions use special autonomy funds for healthcare for other purposes,” Darwin said.
He said that Mimika regency used its otsus health fund for education, Nduga regency for tourism development and Asmat regency for infrastructure development. Darwin said the otsus fund for Papua was split 80:20, with 80 percent going to the province and the other 20 percent going to regencies and cities. The three regions that spend 15 percent of the allocated fund for healthcare spend around Rp 7 billion (US$560,000).
Papua health agency head Aloysius Giyai said that implementation of the rule to allocate 15 percent of the otsus fund for health in local regencies and cities remained unsatisfactory.
