Hundreds Of Health Workers In South Kalimantan Are Selected To Be Tasked To Remote Rural Areas

A health worker uses complete personal protective equipment during shifts at the COVID-19 referral hospital. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

A total of 181 health workers (nakes) in South Kalimantan Province were selected to carry out their duties to remote rural areas this year.

The Head of Health Human Resources of the South Kalimantan Provincial Health Office, Ahmad Yani, explained that as many as 181 health workers came from nine regencies/cities in this province.

Yani said the health workers took part in a computer assisted test (CAT) or selection method using a computer tool to obtain a minimum standard of basic competence.

For this activity, said Yani, the South Kalimantan Provincial Health Office is collaborating with the Technical Implementation Unit for Information and Communication Technology (UPT ICT) of Banjarmasin State Polytechnic (Poliban).

"We have held it on August 15, 2023, all health workers are present," he said.

He explained that this selection was carried out in order to fill the vacancy of health workers at health centers spread across South Kalimantan, especially in remote rural areas.

The health workers who take part in this selection include midwives, nurses, promkes, kesling, laboratory analysts, nutrition, doctors and dentists.

The health workers who took part in this selection, according to him, had gone through screening in districts/cities.

"So the puskesmas has screened several people and then verified by the district/city health office and then proposed to us and then joined this CAT and then there was a psychological test," he explained.

According to Yani, this step is to improve services at health centers in this province, especially in remote areas.

Because, of the 230 health centers in 13 regencies/cities in this province, there are still quite a lot of shortages of strategic health workers or doctors with various skills. "We continue to try to complete it, one of which is in this way," said Yani.