It also applies to dealing with everyday health problems that will affect the quality of life of our people.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Ministry is observing Integrated Health Posts (posyandu) Awareness Month to improve services at health facilities so that they reach all age groups and become local forerunners in health service provision for the community.
Posyandus serve all age groups, including babies, pregnant women, and the elderly, director general for public health at the ministry, Maria Endang Sumiwi, noted during a virtual discussion at the Posyandu Awareness Month Workshop on Friday.
She said that posyandus will be strengthened to carry out promotional and preventive health services, such as medical screenings.
"By bolstering the services at the posyandus, the community will also become healthier," she added.
The director general said that the posyandu is a smart health service system, which is directly owned and run by the community – with the support of the village and central governments – and directly benefits them.
"It is expected that the implementation of the Posyandu Awareness Month will encourage the community to come to the posyandus to check their health," she noted.
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She urged parents to visit health facilities to monitor the health of their babies and asked pregnant women and female adolescents to visit posyandus to check whether they suffer from anemia or not.
In addition, Sumiwi said that adults and the elderly can come to posyandus to check their blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
"We have learned from the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that we will be successful in overcoming a big problem if all people (and stakeholders) participate in solving it,” she explained.
“It also applies to dealing with everyday health problems that will affect the quality of life of our people,” she added.
Hence, she said she expects that through the Health Ministry’s primary health transformation program, which also includes posyandus, the community will also actively take part in dealing with everyday health problems.
The Posyandu Awareness Month program is being carried out in collaboration with the Home Affairs Ministry; Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration Ministry; as well as the Empowerment and Family Welfare Development Team (TP PKK).
The program also aims to increase the number of residents visiting posyandus and has asked the village heads to actively contribute to maintaining the operation of posyandus.
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Translator: Lintang Prameswari, Uyu Liman
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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