MALARIA PERDHAKI, Kalabahi – The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia (Kemenkes RI) conducted Monitoring and Evaluation (Monev) of the Malaria program run by the Indonesian Health Service Unity Association (Perdhaki) through SSR Klinik St. Elisabeth Tombang. During this Monev activity, the Kemenkes team visited Morba Village, Alor Barat Daya District, which is one of the villages still experiencing malaria cases in Alor Regency. Dedy Suprianto, S.Si., MKM, as the Head of the Monev Team, stated that their visit to Morba Village was not only for a friendly visit but also to engage in dialogue regarding the ongoing malaria program with the village head, malaria program cadres, and local residents.

“Our purpose in coming here is to build good relations as well as to hold a dialogue with the village head, malaria program cadres, and village residents regarding the ongoing malaria program. Why is this important? Because two villages, namely Morba Village and Moramam Village, still report malaria cases,” he said on Wednesday, December 20, 2023, at the yard of St. Peter Mayemol Chapel, Morba Village. Furthermore, Dedy explained that the target for malaria elimination in East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT) is the year 2027, and at the district level, the goal should be achieved even sooner. Therefore, malaria eradication efforts need to start at the village level.

“We need to understand the situation here, including how the budgeting is handled, because this is important in relation to malaria eradication. The national target is for Indonesia to be malaria-free by 2023, while the provincial target is to be malaria-free by 2027. At the district level, the goal must be achieved faster than the provincial target. To reach this goal, we have to start from the village,” he said. Regarding malaria eradication, Dedy added that his team cannot work alone. There needs to be cross-program coordination together with the community.

“The most important point is that the community must together build awareness, so that we can control malaria. We are grateful to the Alor District Health Office and Perdhaki for their hard work in tackling malaria cases in Alor Regency. If we follow the trend of cases here, there has been a decline. Now, with the decrease in cases, we strive to be malaria-free. Alor Regency is very close to this goal, so I ask for the cooperation of all parties,” he concluded. Representing the Ministry of Health team, Dedy expressed gratitude for the traditional welcome, the participation of the Village Heads of Morba and Moramam, as well as the villagers who warmly received their visit.

Meanwhile, Urbanus Kamengkari, the Head of Morba Village, expressed his complaints regarding the distance to the nearest health facilities. “Today, I don’t see anyone from the district or the Health Office present here. I want to say that the reach to health facilities is very far from here. Health workers may talk about the 3M (three measures) to eradicate malaria, but there has never been in-depth education or practical implementation, they only distribute abate powder,” he complained. According to Urbanus, the presence of the Alor District Health Office during the Ministry of Health’s visit to Morba Village is important so that they can directly convey their complaints.

“The Perdhaki program has indeed ended after 8 years. However, we also want the presence of the District Health Office here together with people from the ministry. We also request if it is possible to build another health facility in our village so it can be more easily accessed by the community,” he concluded. Urbanus and the community expressed their gratitude for the Ministry of Health delegation who traveled all the way from Jakarta to visit their village. The Ministry of Health delegation present included Iqbal R.F. Elyazar, MPH, DPhil, Dr. dr. Ajib Diptyanusa, DTM\&H, MCTM, Sp.ParK, Agung Pratama, SKM, dr. Lenny, and Terotji File representing Perdhaki NTT. Also present were Samuel Lekay, Head of Moramam Village, malaria cadres, and local villagers.

This article has been published on Pos-Kupang.com with the title Ministry of Health Conducts Monitoring and Evaluation of Perdhaki Malaria Program in Alor Regency https://kupang.tribunnews.com/2023/12/20/kementerian-kesehatan-adakan-monev-program-malaria-perdhaki-di-kabupaten-alor.
Author: Rosalia Andrela | Editor: Oby Lewanmeru