Merauke, Jubi – Health and education services have become a serious concern in some villages located in Ngguti sub-district of Merauke Regency have become a serious issue due to lack of commitment among medical and educational workers.
In regards health, none of the recruited midwives or nurses performs their job. As a result, the public health service is only carried out once a month, revealed a pastor of the Indonesian Gospel Church the Rev. Oktovianus Kaize who’s in charge in Ngguti to Jubi in Okaba on Friday (2/11/2018).
He found out about this when he and his congregations visited people in villages for their service. They often met people who were ill and almost couldn’t move their bodies. Therefore they surrender in their pain. “Then I pray on them and give them motivation to not despair,” he said.
According to the pastor, though there is no medical staff in the village, the public health centre (puskesmas) should provide the health service at least once a week.
“If it only provides once a month, of course, people who already get sick can’t do anything because the distance between the villages and sub-district is very far,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Former Head of Merauke District Health Office, dr. Stefanus Osok said when he was still in the office; most villages had a midwife who’s responsible for providing a regular health service.
“Indeed I often get information that health workers are rarely not in their post. So it’s become a serious concern for the regional health office,” he said.
Poor educational services
Teaching and learning activities in Ngguti sub-district of Merauke Regency are also not running well. It impacts the pupils who are mostly indigenous Papuans.
“I often provide church services to the villages and found out that teachers often skip their responsibility in educating children,” said the Rev. Oktovianus Kaize. “They like to spend more time in the city for months rather than teaching children. As a result, these children cannot get their rights on knowledge properly.”
He further said, “It’s true that there are non-civil servant teachers recruited for teaching in the villages, but once they find out there is a recruitment test for civil servants, they go to the town. While the teachers that already obtained the status of civil servant almost never come to school,” he said.
However, the pastor said he did not know for sure whether the Merauke Local Government acknowledge the facts that teachers are absent and chose to live in the town.
Meanwhile, Moses Kaibu, Chairman of Commission A for Education of Merauke House of Representative (DPRD), emphasizes that his office repeatedly highlighted the poor education services, especially in villages, all the time.
“I have repeatedly asked the government that teachers should not leave their place of duty. But it seems that they didn’t listen,” he said. (*)
