By: Abner Wanggai )*
Papua region is still prone to diseases, such as malaria. The local government does not remain silent and is trying to overcome it so that all civilians are healthy. To overcome the spread of various dangerous diseases, the provision of special autonomy funds from the central government is very helpful. Because it can be used to build hospitals and complete facilities.
Otsus is a special authority in the provinces of Papua and West Papua. In addition to receiving funds, the people of Bumi Cendrawasih also have the privilege of electing a native Papuan regional head and managing their own territory. This program lasts for 20 years and is extended.
Ahead of the extension of special autonomy, program funding is in the spotlight. The public listened to the Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani’s speech carefully. Sri Mulyani stated that the special autonomy fund was increased to 7.8 trillion rupiah. The nominal increases, because the previous year’s special autonomy budget was only 7.5 trillion rupiah.
Sri Mulyani continued, the provision of special autonomy funds for period 2 was specifically for the fields of technology, education and health. So that the Papua region is increasingly advanced and many students are proficient in using the internet. Development in the field of information technology is also very important, because it is a means of communication, so there is no story of losing the signal in the interior.
President Jokowi also advised that the provision of special autonomy funds volume 2 be carried out effectively and efficiently. In that sense, if there is money disbursing from the central government, there should be no corruption. Because the consequences will be fatal. If a hospital is built but the funds are circumcised, the facilities can be incomplete and have bad consequences for patients.
Eradicating disease is still a homework on Earth of Cendrawasih. So far in Papua, the most common disease is malaria, because parts of the area are forests and swamps dotted with mosquitoes. In addition, there are also people who are sick with leprosy, tuberculosis, and even HIV-AIDS. The Papuan government is certainly trying hard so that there is no transmission of this dangerous disease.
To overcome malaria and other diseases, a large amount of funds are needed from the special autonomy program. Later that money will buy quinine pills and other drugs. The special autonomy budget is also used to support the vaccination program to prevent disease transmission in Papua. For example vaccines for hepatitis A and C, meningitis, tuberculosis, and others.
The problem in eradicating disease in Papua is that the area is very large while the ratio of hospitals to the population is less balanced. In West Papua Province, there are only 16 hospitals. Even then, only 1 has a new CT Scan tool, namely at Teluk Bintuni Hospital. So the fear is that there are people who are not helped by the medical team.
If the special autonomy fund has been issued by the central government, it can be used to build hospitals and clinics. Not only a good building, but also complete facilities. For example, ventilators, CT scans, x-rays, ultrasound machines, and others. Hospitals also have inpatient rooms that are clean and make patients feel comfortable.
The special autonomy budget is also used to recruit representative health personnel. So in the hospital, the contents are not only 1 doctor and several nurses. But there are doctors with their respective specialties, there are also midwives for the maternity hospital. The medical personnel are also graduates from the Campus and Health Academy who are bona fide, so they are highly knowledgeable.
If the otsus program goes well, then there will be no more patients who die on the way, because they have to walk many kilometers to the hospital. Because in the area there is already a clinic with quite complete facilities and doctors who are always on standby.
Therefore, the extension of the special autonomy program is very important. Because it can be used to solve health problems in the provinces of Papua and West Papua. For example, to prevent the spread of malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. People in Bumi Cendrawasih are healthy and feel cared for by the government.
)* The author is a Papuan student living in Yogyakarta