In Miami Jayawijaya Village, Papua People Must Rent Helicopters To Transport Patients

WAMENA - The people of Kampung Miami in Jayawijaya Regency, Papua, have to rent a helicopter to transport patients because there is no access to land vehicles, either cars or motorbikes.

The head of the Itlay Hisage Health Center, Jois Halitopo, said that it was difficult for his party to treat critical patients who needed referrals because access to them could only be done by walking for hours or using helicopters, which are not cheap for the community, who are mostly farmers.

"If someone gets sick there, friends from the health cadres call us, we call a helicopter to pick them up. That's the community who is in charge of the financing so we don't know for sure the amount. We puskesmas don't have operational money for that. In addition, there is a village head responsibility for financing," he said, quoted by Antara, Monday, November 8.

The last case that was difficult to handle there and had to be taken by helicopter to the Jayawijaya Capital Center in Wamena was a woman about to give birth.

"The community reported it to us, we asked for a helicopter, it was delivered when we boarded, the mother was not helped. The baby was saved, but we are currently keeping it in Ibele District," he said.

In order to keep the health services there running as well as they can, they employ health cadres. These cadres usually come to the district center on foot to bring medicine to the village.

Furthermore, medical officers from the puskesmas followed to provide services to the community.

"Usually we start walking there at 5 in the morning. We get there at 10 in the afternoon. That's why we are tired on the road," he said.

He expects the government to open about 2 - 3 kilometers of roads to get there so that half of the journey can be reached by motorbike and continued on foot.

"We hope that the government will open access roads so that development can enter there so that we can also enter. If two or three kilometers are opened, it will be easy enough for us," he said.