Having tuberculosis is not the end of the world. People living with the disease in East Sentani district, Jayapura regency, Papua, keep their chins up while taking medication for years to recover.
By
FABIO MARIA LOPES COSTA & KRISTIAN OKA PRASETIYADI
·5 minutes read
Having tuberculosis is not the end of the world. People living with the disease in East Sentani district, Jayapura regency, Papua, keep their chins up while taking medication for years to recover.On Wednesday morning (18/3/2020), a passenger hopped off a motorcycle taxi in front of the Kampung Harapan community health center (Puskesmas) in East Sentani district. The passenger was Yonece Wangguay, a 45-year-old mother of four who had drug-resistant tuberculosis. She then walked to a special room for people with the disease at the Puskesmas.
Ten minutes later, Puskesmas head Hanover Budianto came by, administered intravenous medicine and gave her drugs. Yonece said she was not tired of taking drugs for more than a year as she felt optimistic that she would recover, despite the TB bacteria that attacked her being particularly drug resistant.
The Puskesmas workers, my family and neighbors support my recovery process.
Yonece caught TB from a relative in mid-2018. Her husband works as a construction worker with irregular income. “I have been on medication since late 2018. The Puskesmas workers, my family and neighbors support my recovery process,” she said.
Meanwhile, Arlince Daber, 32, of Kampung Nenarandali in Jayapura, has been receiving TB medicine at a local Puskesmas for the past two months. She said that she would strive to complete her medication process so that she would not spread the TB to her family at home. “I want to get healthy for my husband and children. They are the source of my strength,” said Arlince, whose husband works as a motorcycle taxi driver.
Hanover said his Puskesmas had provided services to people under three TB categories as of this March, comprising 15 under Category 1TB, four under Category 2 TB and one with drug-resistant TB.
Papua Health Agency data shows that Jayapura regency had 834 TB cases as of late 2019. East Sentani was among the regions with highest prevalence of TB cases. People with Category 1 TB are required to take medications for six months. If the disease persist, the medication process can be extended for 2-3 months.
Meanwhile, people with Category 2 TB must take medication for eight to nine months, including intravenous drug for two months. People with drug-resistant TB must take medicines, including intravenous ones, for two years, for complete recovery. “The high number of TB cases in East Sentani district is due to the poor local awareness of maintaining a clean and healthy lifestyle and in exercising coughing etiquette,” Hanover said.
If people with the disease cannot come to the Puskesmas, we will visit them at their homes.
People with TB in East Sentani have access to free medicines until their complete recovery. “If people with the disease cannot come to the Puskesmas, we will visit them at their homes. We have also prepared transportation money assistance for the poor,” he said.
Densely-populated area
TB also spreads in densely-populated areas such as Kampung Paso in Manado, North Sulawesi. In this residential area, the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria that causes TB reigns in local homes every year.
Local resident Hui Suawa, 47, was diagnosed with TB. Two years ago, her sister in law caught TB, perhaps more than once. “Maybe [I caught the disease] because we live in the same house,” she said.
Hui lives with five other people, including her husband and grandchildren, in the upper floor of a traditional Minahasa house. On the lower floor, there are two other families, including her sister in law’s. The only way sunlight goes into the house was through a window and a wall ventilation.
When her sister in law caught TB in 2019, Hui coughed up blood. She was found to have TB after having an X-ray photo taken. “The doctor gave me a week’s worth of medicines and told me to go to the Puskesmas. There, I was given other drugs that I should take for six months,” she said.
The TB medicines were free, saving her husband’s income as a public minivan driver from further burden.
The TB medicines were free, saving her husband’s income as a public minivan driver from further burden. However, taking the medicines was not easy for Hui as it affected her gastric acid. “If I wanted to give up, I would have given up long before now. It sometimes feels like I want to die as I cannot eat due to my gastric acid. However, the Puskesmas officer told me to be consistent. My husband and children tells me the same thing,” Hui said.
Now, only one month is left in Hui’s medication process. She also has support from other women who had recovered from TB in her village. When she complained about the medicines’ side effects, one of the women told her that they were common. “She always tells me to be strong and makes me feel that I am not alone. The side effects go away if you take your drugs consistently,” she said.
World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that there are 10 million new TB cases globally, including 842,000 in Indonesia. Rohimi Zamzam of women’s organization and TB authorized signatory principal recipient Aisyiyah said that TB could attack anyone and was commonly found in people from the lower middle class. Everyone must work together to keep up the spirit of people with the disease, on their path towards recovery. (SEKAR GANDHAWANGI)