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