Ready To Provide Health For Bedouin Residents, 9 Posyandu Founded In Kanenkes Lebak Village

Bedouin residents rest at Posyandu Bungur VII, Kanekes Village, Lebak, Banten, Saturday 10 June 2023. (ANTARA-Andi Firdaus).

A total of nine posyandu to serve the Bedouin population were built in a number of villages in Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar District, Lebak Regency, Banten Province.

"To reach all villages, health services are carried out by establishing nine posyandu, each filled with one midwife," said Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi in Jakarta, Tuesday, June 13, as reported by Antara.

The nine posyandus are located in the work area of the Cisimeut Health Center, which also houses Margawangi, Bojongmteng, Nayagati, Cisimeut, and Cisimeut Raya villages.

Kanekes Village covers 68 villages and three of them are inhabited by the Inner Bedouin community, namely Cibeo Village (around 100 families/KK), Cikawarna Village (160 families), and Cikeusik Village (40 families).

"So, every posyandu serves four to seven villages," said Nadia.

Nadia said that posyandu activities were carried out at the Sundanese traditional house so that residents who came to access health services felt more comfortable.

The increase in access to Bedouin residents to health services is aimed at reducing the mortality rate of mothers giving birth among the Bedouin community.

According to government data, during 2022 there were five mothers who died in the work area of the Cisimeut Health Center and since early 2023 there have been three mothers who died.

According to Rika Nopita, a midwife from the Cisimeut Health Center who served in Kanekes Village, mother mortality, among others, occurred due to delays in detection of abnormalities during pregnancy.

"Pregnant women from the Bedouin usually do not routine pregnancy checks, because the following month these pregnant women went to the fields," he said.

"Currently, these obstacles can be overcome by having an ultrasound examination to check the condition of pregnant women's womb in the Dalam Bedouin. Previous examinations were only at the clinic and the Leuwidamar Health Center," he explained.

The Cisimeut Health Center in October 2022 received portable ultrasound equipment from the University of Indonesia Hospital and in early 2023 received ultrasound equipment from the Lebak Health Office to support the implementation of pregnancy examinations.

"Now there is an ultrasound, we have schedules every Tuesday and Thursday at the puskesmas and are examined by specialist doctors. There are also many pregnant women who come for ultrasound because they are close," said Rika.

He said that the puskesmas also carried out counseling and distribution of nutritional supplements to pregnant women in order to minimize the risk of maternal mortality.

"We also carry out counseling on signs of pregnancy hazard and provide a tablet Fe (iron) at the posyandu. When there is an abnormality during ultrasound, the midwife must immediately consult a specialist doctor," he said.