"Hundreds of residents were trying to get adequate health services by visiting Bikar Werur villages in the hope of receiving more attention and medical assistance from the government and relevant parties," said Hans Mambrasar, a leader of the local cJayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of people in three villages of Kwoor district, West Papua, reportedly stricken by diseases and malnutration were badly in need of assistance in the form of medicines, paramedics and nutritious food.
Hans Mambrasar, a leader of the local community and also a teacher of the gospel (bible) as contacted by ANTARA, here, on Wednesday said that at present hundreds of residents from the villages of Baddei, Jokjoker and Kosefa in the Kwoor district have been evacuated to Bikar and Werur villages in the Sausapor district.
"Hundreds of residents were trying to get adequate health services by visiting Bikar Werur villages in the hope of receiving more attention and medical assistance from the government and relevant parties," said Hans who has been a bible teacher for 30 years in the Tambrauw district, West Papua.
He further stressed that at present many residents were badly in need of medicines, ready-to-wear clothes, nutritious foods and paramedics. "The residents badly need aid," he said.
As to the desired health services in Bikar and Werur villages, the places where hundreds of residents were sheltered, Hans said that now they have got medical services from a farmer who understood well on the disease feared by the residents.
"So, Mr Obeth Padwa, who has voluntarily given medicines and have got the knowledge from reading books, is curing the residents wishing to get health services," he said.
Touching on the symptoms of the disease which have killed tens of residents, most of whom are children, Hans further stressed that they suffered wounds in their lips, nose and legs which are difficult to cure.
"Mostly the residents are worried that the disease could not be cured, thus causing them to move to safer villages in a bid to get adequate health services."
As reported before, at least 95 percent of residents in the Kwoor district, West Papua, have died following the outbreak of the disease in November 2012 until now due to poor health services.
Furthermore, Hans said that till now there has not any real attention from local and central governments. "No relevant agency has come to check the problem faced by the residents, and we hope this problem could be immediately overcome."(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013
