IDAI: Lack Of Healthcare Workers Is An Obstacle To Dealing With Talasemia In Eastern Indonesia

Screenshot Of The Head Of The IDAI Oncology Hematology Coordinator Work Unit Teni Tjitra Sari At The 2023/ANTARA World Talasemia Day Press Conference

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) stated that the lack of personnel for health workers (nakes) was one of the challenges in providing treatment to talasemia patients in eastern Indonesia. " “ So there are some problems, from the distribution of the doctor himself specifically for pediatric hematology and oncology specialists, we are very, very limited in the eastern region," said Head of the IDAI Oncology Hematology Coordinator Working Unit Teni Tjitra Sari at the 2023 World Talasemia Day Press Conference which was followed online in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, May 5. Teni said the limitations of health workers opened up the possibility that many cases of talasemia were not tracked or patients could not be given medical treatment according to good management. He said that in Papua, for example, there was only one doctor with the hematology and oncology on duty. It was just finished studying at a medical school. In Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) it doesn't have it at all. "They can indeed seek treatment and carry out detection to the west or central region, but once we return to the east no one will handle it," he said. The lack of number of health workers ultimately has an impact on the limited availability of available tools and medicines for talasemia patients. Because, even though the equipment has been provided, no one can use it or provide recommendations for medicines for consumption patients. "“ In terms of patients, the end is the same, because there are no doctors, the medicines are getting more difficult, so in terms of patients, it will be even more difficult (treatment) if you are in the eastern region,” he said. Teni is worried that if this situation continues, many sufferers will not be treated properly and will not develop in eastern Indonesia. Therefore, in commemoration of World Talasemia Day 2023 which takes the theme “Be Aware, Share, Care: Preliminary Education to Bridge the Thalassemia Care Gap ” and commemorated on May 8, 2023, it is used as a momentum to fix existing management, so that the standard of living for talasemia patients can increase. He also asked the Ministry of Health to jointly strengthen synergies and collaborations to strengthen early detection so that more cases of talasemia are found and handled.

"“Hopefully we'll wait a few more years, some of the doctors we planned to be able to return to the area, later supported by the ministry as well and finally friends (talasemia patients) there can be detected. So it is true that maybe (the case) was not detected because the facilities, the human resources were also not there, so we are also very, very limited,” he said.