IMC completes health clinics in Aceh Jaya, hands over to local communities

Photo by Stephanie Bowen

Traditional dancers performed at the opening ceremony of this IMC-built health clinic.

In an elaborate opening ceremony full of tradition and pride, International Medical Corps handed over the newly built Ceunamprong Village Health Clinic to the local government on Wednesday, April 25, 2007. A maternal and child health clinic was also officially given over to the neighboring village of Keude Unga. Both are located in Jaya, a sub-district of Aceh Jaya that was devastated by the tsunami and killed more than 80 percent of the population in some places. Both represent significant progress being made to help those that survived to rebuild their communities and lives.

Girls dressed in gold and silk costumes danced to traditional music meant to give honor to the audience, which consisted of community leaders, representatives of the local health authority, IMC staff, and children from the local school. At the end of their dance, they offered sirih, a traditional plant that when chewed cleans the teeth.

“Since the beginning of the tsunami, IMC is the one who supports us the most,” said Iman Jaya, the head of the District Health Office. IMC is one of the few remaining NGOs in the area.

Addressing the children, Jaya recognized the importance of the clinic to the community’s future. “You are the next generation and you will come to the pustu when you get sick,” he said. Jaya also took the opportunity to educate. “Before eating you must wash your hands. And how many of you brush your teeth?” he asked. After the ceremony the children received a free dental exam and toothbrushes, which was part of the World Health Day celebration in the nearby town of Lamno.

Photo by Stephanie Bowen

IMC's Site Manager officially signs over the clinic to the head of the District Health Office.

Speaking to IMC’s mission to build self-reliance, Lamno site manager Zainal Soemadiredja, emphasized that the clinic’s success lies with the village and local government. “Now that the clinic is built, it is up to you to not only use it, but also manage and maintain the facility,” he said.

“We are quite lucky because we already have the staff,” said Nurhayati, head of puskesmas Lamno, a government health facility supported with infrastructure, equipment and training by IMC. “Some NGOs build health care facilities without having staff.”

The pustu, or clinic, will be staffed with two nurses, one midwife and a maintenance worker. It has a registration room, a general health exam room, an ob/gyn exam room and a pharmacy, as well as living quarters for all the staff. The polindes, or maternal-child health clinic, has a combined exam room and pharmacy and living quarters for the midwife. IMC built the pustu with a grant from the Dutch donor agency Stichting Vluchteling (SV). The polindes was built with funds from the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). Equipment for each was donated by Americares.

Photo by Stephanie Bowen
This midwife will live in the mother-child health clinic where she works.

“The clinics are not just from IMC, but also from the donors,” said Soemadiredja. “The community is fortunate that they have the generosity to give.” In addition to providing the materials and construction of the clinics, IMC, with funds from SV and ECHO, trained the nurses and midwife.

The traditional Acehnese ceremony concluded with the Mukim, the leader of four area villages, and the Keucik, who heads the village of Ceunamprong, blessing the building with offerings of glutinous rice, toasted sweetened coconut, raw rice and coconut milk. The sticky rice was placed in the door jambs and behind the ear of the head of the District Health Office as a symbol of unity. The entire ritual was performed to ward off bad spirits.

Both clinics will serve a total population of more than 2,600 people.