Community medical training manuals for remote care
Field-built tools supporting safe community healthcare
In East Sumba, medical manuals are not academic objects. They are practical tools that women carry through dust, rain, and long distances to deliver care where no doctor exists. These books were created by the medical teams of Fair Future Foundation, together with Kawan Baik Indonesia, and are built entirely on field experience and refined mission after mission.
Each chapter is rooted in real clinical situations treated every week in remote villages. Fever management, danger signs, wound care, infection prevention, nutrition, sanitation, and community education are explained with precision, using clear language and illustrations that are understandable to all ages. The goal is not theory, but safe action.
During training sessions, Kawan Sehat health agents read, write, annotate, and practise every medical step under close supervision. The manuals then follow them into homes, schools, and community gatherings, becoming references when a child arrives sick in the middle of the night. Checklists support clinical decisions when treating fevers, coughs, skin infections, or wounds.
These books are constantly updated after each mission, integrating new medical observations and adapting to local realities. Their durability matters because agents often travel on foot, by motorbike, or on horseback to reach patients.
As the backbone of the Primary Medical Care programme, these manuals support a structured system that serves nearly 1,000 patients each month. They strengthen autonomy, accuracy, and continuity of care in villages without healthcare infrastructure, led by remarkable women working every day to protect their communities.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – the 18thof January 2025
