Field supervision securing essential medicines for rural health agents in East Sumba

This new Picture of the Day shows Erwin, our Primary Medical Care field coordinator, meeting with Agents Verinoka, Imelda, and Welmince at Puskesmas Kawangu.

A Puskesmas is a government primary healthcare centre in Indonesia. We work hand in hand with every Puskesmas in East Sumba as part of our Primary Medical Care programme, in coordination with the Indonesian authorities. Today, in the meeting room at the Kawangu health centre, Erwin meets with three Kawan Sehat agents (Agent Verinoka, Agent Imelda, and Agent Welmince) to review their work in detail.

Each of these women walked long distances to be here. The closest walked 10 kilometres on foot. The others came from even farther. They come from ultra-rural villages where access to care is almost non-existent; no resident doctor. No pharmacy. No laboratory. In their communities, they are the first and often the only medical contact.

Every two months, Erwin conducts a structured supervision visit. He verifies their stock of essential medicines, checks expiry dates, reviews usage and refills as needed, and cross-checks their physical stock against the cases recorded in the Kawan Sehat application, our offline tool that allows agents to register (online or offline) every patient encounter, document symptoms, send photos, and report clinical evolution even without internet access. This is not symbolic. It is a medical and logistical control system.

He reviews every item in their medical backpack, a kit we designed specifically for ultra-rural conditions: rapid tests, antibiotics, antiseptics, and wound care materials. Nothing can be missing. In these villages, a simple, untreated wound can become infected. An untreated fever can evolve into severe malaria. A delayed antibiotic can mean sepsis.

This programme is vital because distance kills. Isolation kills. Delayed care kills. Ensuring these agents are properly supplied, clinically supported, and regularly evaluated prevents minor issues from becoming fatal outcomes.

Primary medical care is not available here. It is the thin line between neglect and survival.

Today, the 16th of February 2026 – Alex Wettstein

List of Related Organisations with Hyperlinks

• Primary Health Care Performance Initiative: Provides global data and evidence on strengthening primary health care systems in low-resource settings.
• Last Mile Health: Trains and supervises community health workers in remote regions to deliver lifesaving primary care services.
• Medicines Sans Frontieres: Delivers emergency medical care in fragile and isolated contexts where access to healthcare is severely limited.
• The Global Health Network: Supports frontline health professionals with training and research tools for resource-limited environments.
• VillageReach: Strengthens rural health systems and supply chains to ensure essential medicines reach remote communities.
• PATH: Develops innovative health solutions and strengthens primary care delivery in low-income settings.