T

he Jakarta administration is set to launch its one RW (community unit), one nurse program in June in order to spread awareness of health problems and boost Jakartans'€™ health.

Deputy Jakarta Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said that in the program, one nurse would be responsible for the health of residents in each community unit.

'€œWe will assign one nurse to each community unit. The nurse will be responsible for educating residents,'€ he announced to reporters in City Hall in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.

Djarot went on to say that awareness among Jakartans of health and nutrition was relatively low, and that the city administration as the government was obliged to educate the city'€™s people so as to boost their health.

A triennial survey by the Health Ministry released in 2013 revealed that Jakarta was the province with the highest number of overweight and obese children, a problem caused by unhealthy diets and lack of parental supervision and comprehension.

The survey also found that although families in Jakarta tended to keep medication in their homes, the city was one of the five provinces with the highest rates of tuberculosis and diarrhea. Jakarta was also one of the five provinces with the lowest percentages of families consuming clean processed water and highest population densities, which is not conducive to good health.

'€œThere are a total of 13,376 nurses in Jakarta. Only 2,707 nurses will be assigned, according to the number of community units in Jakarta. The nurses will teach residents about different types of disease and the causes behind them, so residents can prevent themselves and their families from catching the diseases,'€ Djarot said.

The nurses, he said, would be stationed at local integrated health service posts (Posyandu). '€œIf residents have any questions regarding health problems, they may consult the nurses for free,'€ Djarot said.

Djarot added that he was upbeat that the one RW, one nurse program would reduce the rate of illnesses among Jakartans, and would improve the health quality of residents. '€œWe have very high hopes for this program. We will make sure that we succeed,'€ he promised.

Health Agency health worker unit head Purwadi said that each nurse would be assigned based on the community unit nearest to his or her home so that the nurse would be available at the Posyandu whenever needed.

He added that the Health Agency was currently preparing to implement the new program and was selecting the nurses who would participate. Participating nurses, he went on, would be drawn from those currently working in community health centers (Puskesmas) and general hospitals.

Purwadi said that the nurses would also attend to patients after they had returned home inpatient treatment. '€œThe nurses will also monitor residents who have health problems and make sure they are eating right and taking their medicine,'€ he said.

The government, through its national health insurance (JKN) program, has introduced attempts to shift the health system paradigm from curative to preventive.

'€” JP/Dewanti A. Wardhani