Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has received the 2018 United Nations Public Service Award for Category 1, `Reaching the Poorest and Most Vulnerable through Inclusive Services and Partnerships,` as announced in a ceremony held in Marrakech, Morocco, on June 23.
The award was given to the Health Offices of Bintuni Bay sub-district, West Papua, for the measures initiated in responding to the threats of Malaria in the area.
According to the UNPSA data, the high incidence rate of malaria in the sub-district of Bintuni Bay has led to the development of the Early Diagnosis and Treatment System (EDAT) program, which is aimed at reducing cases of malaria, particularly among vulnerable groups living in remote and hard-to-access areas.
The program is a collaboration between the local government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
The EDAT system, implemented through the establishment of Juru Malaria Kampung or Malaria Specialist (JMK), aims to raise awareness and education amongst the community on malaria identification, prevention, and treatment; training villagers as malaria health workers; repackaging malaria drugs in a more convenient and user-friendly manner, and ensuring integrated quality assurance.
These serious efforts have led to the success that led Indonesia to receive the award from the UNPSA. As of 2017, the EDAT program has succeeded in reducing the malaria prevalence rate from 9.2 percent to 0.02 percent in 12 pilot villages. The program also managed to reduce the malaria morbidity rate from 114.9 per one thousand people (2009) to 5 per one thousand people (2016).
The award itself was received by the Deputy of Public Services from the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Diah Natalisa, who represented the government of Bintuni Bay, during the awarding ceremony held in Marrakech, Morocco, on June 23.
Reporter: Aria Cindyara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
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