Un stéthoscope, seize cartes et un soin à emporter à la maison

Santé et soins

Une prescription médicale à utiliser à domicile

1. The place and date : The care day took place in Desa Bidi Hunga, East Sumba, on 24 October 2026. Alex reports a three-hour road journey from Rumah Kambera and around one hundred patients of all ages.
2. What the photograph shows : A doctor examines a child with a stethoscope. Health cards lie on the table beside clinical equipment. The image does not establish the child’s diagnosis or treatment.
3. Two flags on one sleeve : The Swiss and Indonesian flags on the doctor’s sleeve reflect the partnership bringing these teams together. Clinical work and practical education meet at the same table.
4. The journey and team : Three off-road vehicles included Truck of Life. Three doctors, two nurses, a pharmacist and a midwife worked alongside Alex, Ino, Elthon, Susanti, Primus and Erwin, who organised the day.
5. Funding before the visit : Fair Future’s 16 October report records IDR 18 million, approximately CHF 826, sent to Kawan Baik Indonesia for the planned care day, with Fair Future and Rotary Mandurah support. This is allocated funding, not a final expenditure statement.
6. Sixteen cards in Indonesian : The illustrated set covers everyday prevention, self-care and warning signs. Subjects include safe water, handwashing, malaria prevention, wounds, blood pressure, pregnancy and smoke exposure.
7. Choose one or two practical actions : Each card asks the patient to select one or two steps with a health worker. The discussion should consider available water, materials, time and family circumstances, rather than impose an unrealistic list.
8. A prescription for daily care : The non-drug prescription records practical actions a person can use at home. It supports clinical care and is not a substitute for assessment, diagnosis or necessary medication.
9. The original idea : The concept originated with Flavie Wettstein, a nurse specialising in emergency care at the Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, CHUV, in Lausanne. Fair Future developed the set with its medical team.
10. Preparing the clinicians too : Alex reports that local doctors were introduced to the approach. Using a card well requires an explanation and a shared choice of actions, rather than simply handing out paper.
11. Prevention needs usable conditions : Safe water and handwashing can reduce avoidable health risks. Advice is more useful when families can obtain water, soap and other essentials; information alone cannot remove those barriers.
12. Prescribed treatment still matters : Card 12, on high blood pressure, explicitly advises taking medicines regularly as recommended by a health worker and checking blood pressure even when feeling well. Daily habits and indicated medication belong together.
13. A finite supply is not a stopping rule : A medicine supply running out does not mean an ongoing treatment is no longer needed. Patients need a workable plan for continuing or reviewing care; education does not make an interruption safe.
14. Know when to seek help : The cards include warning signs and directions to seek medical help. Card 10 advises not waiting for the next outreach day. Urgent deterioration needs assessment, not reliance on a card alone.
15. What this first use can establish : The cards were used at the 24 October care day, according to Alex. This documents introduction into the team’s practice, not proof of reduced medicine use, improved outcomes or a first for Indonesia.