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argeted low-income communities taking part in the mobile clinic program have shown an increased awareness on health issues as indicated by changes in their behavior.

A case in point is residents of Kampung Tengah, a slum and high-density housing area located behind Pasar Induk Kramatdjati, a traditional wholesale market in East Jakarta.

Diah, a member of a Posyandu (integrated health post), disclosed that most locals were used to using drains as a place to defecate and also disposed of garbage and trash anywhere they saw fit, leaving them vulnerable to various diseases.

However, thanks to the education and counseling on health issues provided by the mobile clinic team “they have abandoned their unhealthy habits and started to embrace healthy living”.

Many are now aware of the importance of using public lavatories. “They also now realize why they should dispose of garbage at a dump site and why they should wash their hands before having a meal, etc,” said the 33-year-old.

Kampung Tengah is located near Kampung Pemulug, a slum area where scavengers reside.

According to her, the mobile clinic team visited the site twice in 2015. Besides health education, the team also provided free medical checks and treatment.

 “Pregnant women now regularly visit the Puskesmas [community health center] for checkups, even though it is far from their kampung; whereas, in the past they would not go to the effort to do so,” said the mother of two.

The change in behavior is also seen in poor residents in Cilincing subdistrict, North Jakarta, who mostly work as fishermen.

“Sure, we have seen behavioral changes, especially following education and counseling on health and family issues provided by the mobile clinic team,” said Sunarmi, who resides in RW (community unit) 04 of Cilincing Lama, Cilincing subdistrict.

Unlike in the past, most young mothers are now paying attention to their children’s nutritional intake because “they care about the future of their children”, said the 38-year-old mother of four.

She recalled that many residents enthusiastically flocked to the mobile clinic stationed at the edge of the coast in 2015. “It made the team extra busy because they had to also deal with unregistered residents,” said the mother, who was involved in distributing coupons to registered residents.

Both Diah and Sunarmi praised the mobile clinic program. “This should not end here. It should continue.” (JP)
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