Photo: An old woman waits patiently as a clinic staff member checks her blood pressure
BOVEN DIGOEL – On Saturday (7/29), PT Tunas Sawa Erma (PT TSE) deployed its clinic staff to Butiptiri (Sub)village, Jair District, with one mission: giving free treatment. Its goal? Bringing medical services to Butiptiri, which is based far from the district puskesmas (public integrated health clinic) in the heart of Jair.
To give you a better idea of the distance between the two, it takes approximately one hour to travel from the puskesmas to the (sub)village. And even that must be done with boats, considering Butiptiri is situated around the Digoel River, a 525 km-long body of water that cuts through the southern part of Papua.
With health facilities inaccessible, many of the locals continue to rely on traditional medical treatment.
The event received a warm response. Around 43 people — a mix of elders, parents, kids, and infants — came in droves to the (sub)village hall to get their health checks and medical care from the staff.
Many of the patients were suffering from persistent cough, dr. Margareta Theresia Raya found. “Most of the cases are coughs that last more than three weeks, and these are found in various age groups, from school-age children to older people. I’m afraid they can develop into tuberculosis if left for too long. So we tried to provide treatment as soon as possible,” said the doctor in an interview after the health screening.
Photo: The medical team on their journey to provide free health screening and treatment for the local community
(Sub)village representative Obaja Kenakop shared his gratitude for the free health service and monthly communication session that came with it.
Meanwhile, Yohanes Sada Nanlohi from PT TSE hoped the event brought blessings to the community. “I hope what we did today helps you all. Also, let’s maintain a healthier lifestyle,” he said, closing the event.
PT Tunas Sawa Erma is a subsidiary of TSE Group, an oil palm plantation company that commits to practicing sustainable palm oil governance. It also puts out innovations to prioritize its responsibilities of tackling various issues, including healthcare. (PR)
