Changing Lives, One Medical Intervention at a Time: The Real Story of How Primary Medical Care Made a Lifesaving Difference in East Sumba
In isolated villages like Mbatapuhu, East Sumba, medical help is miles away. But with the Fair Future Foundation’s Primary Medical Care program, life-saving help comes to those who need it the most.
In the remote village of Mbatapuhu in East Sumba, isolation is more than a geographical state; it’s a condition of life. Roads, or what passes for roads, are barely navigable tracks, even for all-terrain vehicles. Yet, between mountains and forests, it’s here that 10-year-old Jaya lives, a boy brimming with energy.
One day, Jaya wakes up feeling off. He’s experiencing chills, his body is sweating, and his temperature soars above 41 degrees Celsius. Each movement is painful; every muscle in his body seems to scream. He’s suffering from what we know all too well as the acute symptoms of malaria. The pain he’s feeling is no mere coincidence; it’s tied to the rapid destruction of his red blood cells by Plasmodium parasites. This massive destruction triggers inflammation, an inflammatory response that is accompanied by severe fever and muscle pain.
More than five hours’ walk away from the nearest medical centre, Jaya’s options are limited. That’s when Rambu Menchy steps in, a health agent trained through the Fair Future Foundation’s #PrimaryMedicalCare program. Armed with her medical kit and expertise, Rambu Menchy arrives at Jaya’s home. Confidently and skillfully, she administers the first doses of paracetamol, an antipyretic that successfully lowers the young boy’s burning fever.
The next day, in an all-terrain vehicle, Jaya is taken to the closest Puskesmas, the nearest care centre. After a screening test, it is confirmed that Plasmodium vivax is the culprit. Rambu Menchy had been right on target. Jaya receives the anti-malarial treatment he so desperately needs, thus marking the beginning of his recovery.
This story is not an isolated one. It’s a tale that speaks of the harsh reality in regions like East Sumba, where the lack of access to basic medical care can turn a treatable disease into a death sentence. But it’s also a story of resilience, adaptability, and human ingenuity. The #PrimaryMedicalCare program is not merely an initiative; it’s a real-time rescue, a lifebuoy in an ocean of healthcare challenges.
That’s why your support is crucial. Because every day, there are other children like Jaya, other villages like Mbatapuhu, who need this lifebuoy. It’s not just about medication or medical training; it’s about giving a chance at life where often there is none.
As you reflect on this story, ask yourself the following question: “What role can I play in supporting lives that are at stake every day?” The reality is right here, palpable and urgent, and it’s our collective responsibility to respond to it.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu, 25th of October, 2023
East Sumba’s Silent Crisis: The Urgent Call for Healthcare Support and Why Swiss Aid Is Absent – A 15-Year Journey with the Fair Future Foundation
In my latest article, I unveil the dire healthcare landscape in East Sumba, where preventable diseases like malaria run rampant. With earnest concern, I probe the glaring absence of major organizations and the lack of aid from our home country, Switzerland.
My dedicated team and I stand as a rare lifeline for these at-risk families. As Fair Future nears its 15th anniversary, this juncture is both a mark of our impact and a resounding alarm: The struggle persists, and the imperative to sustain our work is increasingly acute. Read it here!
They are not doctors or nurses. Thanks to the knowledge acquired during training modules in primary medical care, they are teachers who treat, save lives, detect the first symptoms of Dengue or the disease and act. These teachers, in their villages without water, electricity, road access and above all without doctors, provide medical care for injured or sick children and lives are saved!
The magic of this “Primary Medica Care” program? It’s just that it’s unique in the world, and it works. The first batch of sixty teachers who have followed the training in primary medical care in rural areas tells us about their “exploits” and their work as rescuers. They take confidence in themselves as the most important, and we note it. Medical care is given to children of sick or injured adults. Lives are being saved.
Since Fair Future and Kawan baik Indonesia foundations started this program by training more than sixty people and published two books (one for schools for children and the other for participants), the results are simply extraordinary. The enthusiasm of these new rescuers- who are, as a reminder, the teachers of these villages and ultra-rural regions of East Sumba-is merely remarkable. It exceeds all our wildest expectations. The images in this article show you some of the daily medical situations teachers face.
Photos are taken by mobile phone and uploaded to the “healthy friend” group via WhatsApp. The participants in this innovative program, “Primary medical care in rural areas”, which consists of empowering people, are all teachers who teach in schools isolated from everything (schools in the outermost regions). Read more information here, kawan.
