Militer Dukung Kemenkes Atasi Gizi Buruk dan Campak di Papua
Indonesia Sends Military to Help Fight Health Crisis in Papua
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
INDONESIA mengerahkan tim paramedis militer untuk mengangkut makanan dan vaksin ke Papua, ke wilayah yang dihuni suku Asmat setelah dilaporkan sedikitnya 61 balita tewas akibat gizi buruk dan mengidap campak.
Kementerian Kesehatan RI menyatakan peristiwa di Kabupaten Asmat terjadi di kawasan yang terpencil dan terisolir merupakan ´kejadian luar biasa´, dan kementerian akan mengirim 39 petugas medis ke lokasi tersebut.
Militer Indonesia telah mengirim 53 personil termasuk paramedis, selain peralatan medis, vaksin dan 11.100 paket makanan instan.
"Kami menangani situasi ini," kata Menteri Kesehatan Nila Moeloek kepada Reuters, yang menyebut menyalahkan insiden serupa sebelumnya akibat beberapa faktor.
"Ada kaitan antara kekurangan gizi dan komplikasi penyakit lainnya," kata Menkes. "Jika Anda kurang gizi, Anda akan terkena penyakit itu."
Kementerian tersebut mengatakan masih berusaha memperkirakan jumlah korban tewas namun surat kabar harian Kompas pada Senin menyebutkan sedikitnya 61 bayi meninggal dunia seperti dikutip Reuters yang dilansir MailOnline.
INDONESIA is deploying military paramedics to carry food and vaccines to a remote part of its easternmost province of Papua, where reports say at least 61 infants died from malnutrition and diseases such as measles.
Papua is one of Indonesia´s poorest provinces despite being rich in resources and President Joko Widodo pledged to speed its development when he came to power in 2014.
The situation in the remote Asmat regency was an "extraordinary incident", the health ministry said in a statement, adding that it was sending 39 health workers there.
The Indonesian military has sent 53 personnel including paramedics, besides medical equipment, vaccines and 11,100 packages of instant food, it added.
"We are handling the situation," Health Minister Nila Moeloek told Reuters, blaming similar previous incidents on several factors.
"There is a link between the malnutrition and (catching) other diseases," Moeloek added. "If you´re undernourished, you will get those diseases."
The ministry said it was still trying to estimate the number of deaths but daily newspaper Kompas on Monday said at least 61 infants had died.
