Noble Works a Ticket to Heaven
A member of the assessment team for the National Integrated Health Services Post (Posyandu) Competition is asking questions to a posyandu officer at the Wijayakusumah posyandu in Sekeloa sub-district, Coblong district, Bandung, on Monday (17/4/2017). The Wijayakusumah posyandu is one of the six nominees in the National Posyandu Competition this year.
Living in the heart of the city does not mean forgetting to take care of fellow citizens.
Medical personnel at the Wijayakusumah public health center (Puskesmas) in Sekeloa sub-district, Coblong, Bandung, are proof. They not only love their fellow citizens, but also care for the environment around them.
It was about eight in the morning when Tati Maryati received a message on a Whatsapp (WA) group. Medical staff at the integral health service (Posyandu) at Puskesmas were asked to visit the house of Neneng Juwariah (43), a Sekeloa resident.
Allea, Neneng\'s two-month-old grandchild, needed a massage to increase her stamina and vitality during the transition season. Without hesitating, Tati rushed to prepare the equipment. She packed olive oil, towels, hand-washing soap, as well as a toy ball into her carry bag.
She wore a pink bomber jacket, similar to that worn by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. On the left breast was an embroidered emblem with the tagline, “Loving Baby and Infant Cadres (Kasaba) On line.” Kasaba Online is a free baby massage program provided by the Wijayakusumah Posyandu for Sekeloa residents.
"All the needs of families, children and husbands before leaving for school and work, have are prepared for since the dawn," she said.
Accompanied by Ade Hendrawati, 49, another Posyandu cadre, Tati travelled on foot as the residence of Neneng was only 200 meters from her house. “Well, finally you’ve come," said Neneng as she received Tati and Ade, while carrying her granddaughter, Allea.
After washing her hands, Tati began massaging the baby. She spread olive oil and massaged Allea’s legs, hands, stomach and forehead. Each part of the body was massaged up to eight times.
While Tati massaged, Ade played with the toy ball so the baby would not cry.
Five minutes later, the massage was finished. The time is short, but the benefits for the baby are significant. Tati said the massage helps make the baby calm. If the baby is calm, it will be easier to breast feed.
"In addition, it improves the infant’s blood circulation so they will be healthier," said Tati, adding that the baby message service is provided for free.
"We are ready to be called at any time. Usually, the residents make their request for a baby massage through the WA group.
The WA group has 30 members comprising of the heads of RW 013 neighborhood sub-district and Posyandu cadres, and is one of the tools the cadres use to bring health services closer to the community,” Tati added.
The head of the Wijayakusumah Posyandu, Imas Masriah, 44, said Kasaba Online is one of their flagship programs and begun in August 2016, when many people were not yet familiar with the benefits of baby massages.
Initially, Imas said, baby massages were provided only at the Posyandu. However, due to the rising number of requests from the residents Posyandu cadres began providing baby massage services at residents\' homes. The benefits of technology makes the Kasaba Online service faster.
"Now almost all Posyandu cadres are adept at massaging babies and we have about 119 infants to take care of. In one day, one or two babies are massaged," he said.
Imas said the baby massage is different from an adult massage. To ensure the safety and health of infants, the Posyandu cadres are trained before receiving a baby massage certificate from the Santo Borromeus Hospital, Bandung. Ade and Tati both took part in the training.
In addition, he said, there are a number of strict rules that must be followed before the baby is massaged. Infants who can be massaged are between 0-36 months old. The baby\'s stomach should also be empty at least an hour before the massage. When massaged, the baby should also be in a state of calm, not crying or in stress.
Healthy environment
Kasaba Online is not the only creative program introduced by the Wijayakusumah Posyandu. In addition to immunization, providing nutritional intake and diabetes prevention, the Posyandu has pioneered a number of educational, economic, and environmental services.
Through its educational services, for example, the Posyandu provides an early childhood education program (PAUD), which is held three times a week. It is divided into four classes, namely children 2-3 years old, 3-4 year-olds, 4-5 year-olds, and 5-6 year-olds. There are five teachers, who take care of the early childhood education. Three of them are Posyandu cadres.
Regarding economics, the Posyandu runs a unique program to help residents increase their income. The Posynadu provides a special table for residents and Posyandu cadres to showcase their products and creations. "Inside there is also a piggy bank to educate the children to save," she said.
It addition to servicing the health needs of residents, environmental sustainability is also a concern of the Posyandu cadres. Trash is reduced through the use of a garbage bank, a part of the Lestari Green Garbage Bank of the Bandung Municipality. The Posyandu also has larva monitors to anticipate the spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This program is designed to prevent the transmission of dengue fever.
"In fact, we are the only Posyandu in Bandung with our own car. The car is used to transport residents to the hospital. The money for the car’s purchase, maintenance and fuel comes from contributions of the residents,” Imas said.
Unwavering dedication
The noble movement has received a number of appreciation awards. Last year, they received the best Posyandu award in West Java for their success in providing an inspiring program, which cares for the health of people and the environment.
Now, they are awaiting a recognition award from the central government. Wijayalusumah Posyandu is competing for the country’s best Posyandu award with several other Posyandu located in Bandar Lampung (Lampung), Samarinda (East Kalimantan), Mojokerto (East Java), Solok (West Sumatra) and Pagar Alam (South Sumatera).
The chairman of the National Posyandu Competition Committee, Aam Amriruloh said that Wijayakusumah Posyandu had met all the criteria to join the competition. “It does not only run health services, but is also able to empower the community to be involved in the health of their children," said Aam.
Imas said they were very proud of all the recognition and appreciation they had received. However, according to her, the awards were just a bonus on top of the hard work of the cadres to create a healthy environment.
"It’s not the prize money we are looking for, but a ticket to heaven," Imas said laughing freely.
Imas and all the cadres agree, what they do is based on willingness. Their unwavering dedication is a beacon to guide Indonesians toward better lives, to become actively involved and to understand the importance of their own health and the environment.
