By : Rebecca Marian )*
The unfavorable security conditions due to the brutal actions of the Papuan Separatist Terrorist Group (KST) eventually forced health workers to be evacuated to a safer place. This evacuation was carried out in order to provide optimal protection for health workers on duty in Papua.
One of the programs from the government that aims to develop Papua from the health sector is Nusantara Sehat. The program is an intervention from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to develop health in an integrated manner. However, this noble intention apparently clashed with KST’s vision so that health services were disrupted.
It was recorded that 14 health workers (Nakes) who were participants in the Ministry of Health’s Healthy Nusantara program who served in Tambrauw Regency, West Papua were evacuated to a safer place in Sorong, the evacuation was carried out following threats from KST Papua.
This incident certainly triggered an unfavorable security condition. So that the government through the Ministry of Health was present directly to evacuate the health workers to avoid the worst possibility.
It should be noted that the Nusantara Sehat Program aims to improve access and quality of health services at Health Service Facilities in underdeveloped border areas and islands (DTKP) and Health Problem Areas (DBK). Based on these criteria, it is certain that Papua will be one of the places where the program will be implemented.
The Ministry of Health will also provide instructions to local governments that are included in the DTKP and DBK categories so that they can maintain the safety and comfort of the health workers who are assigned the Nusantara Sehat program because they are needed to provide health services to the community.
Meanwhile, it is known that on June 9, 2023 a meeting for the establishment of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB) by KKB Papua took place in the Bamus Bama District, Tambrauw Regency. This activity was finally detected by security forces from the TNI-Polri. The security forces finally managed to arrest 11 of the 23 people who took part in the meeting, while 12 others managed to escape.
The existence of KST in Papua with all its evil actions so far has certainly created an endless sense of fear for the people of Papua. It is not wrong for Papuans to become inflamed and express their jealousy towards their countrymen and fellow countrymen in other areas who are allowed to enjoy the dynamics of normal life without fear from the sudden attack from KST.
The brutal acts of KST have made the Papuan people even more miserable, this is because the attacks from KST have stopped people’s activities. This shows that acts of terror in Papua can stop community activities such as buying and selling.
Previously, Kapendam XVII/Cenderawasih Colonel Herman Taryaman said that KST in Intan Jaya recently had frequently disturbed the TNI-Polri, and even terrorized the community. Because of that, the community was on alert by raising arrows to drive away the KST when it came to their village.
The existence of KST in Papua often causes chaos to the point of destroying the conduciveness of the region in Papua. The arrival of KST seems to undermine security and peace for residents living in Papua.
The health workers who are members of the Nusantara Sehat program are definitely selected people who have voluntarily left their hometowns to take part in improving the health status of people in eastern Indonesia.
Doctors, nurses and health workers in Papua must receive guarantees for their safety so that health services are not disrupted. Do not let the health services in Papua receive threats or instead receive bad actions that can harm the health workers and indigenous Papuans themselves.
KST itself has a track record as a group that likes to cause riots, not only civilians who are victims, TNI-Polri officers to health workers are also victims of KST’s barbaric actions.
Previously, KST had also launched an action against health workers in Kiwirok, where at that time KST set fire to the Puskesmas causing the health workers at the office to run away and fall into a ravine. Incidents like this actually show that KST only wants to see chaos in Papua, to the point that they actually mess up existing health facilities in Papua.
This incident caused an athlete named Katriana to experience extreme psychological trauma, she also admitted that she did not want to return to work in the interior. Katriana also suffered a blunt stab wound to her thigh.
If all this time KST has stated that they are fighting for Papuan independence from the Republic of Indonesia, in reality KST itself has actually damaged the social order and spread terror in Papua.
Health workers in Papua are a part that must be maintained in order to facilitate access to health services for Papuans. So it is very important for the government to evacuate health workers if their condition is threatened.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Jakarta