Antara.com-16 Jan 2018
The Ministry of Social Affairs has sent food to tackle the extraordinary outbreaks of measles and malnutrition in Asmat District, Papua.
Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa, through a written statement received by ANTARA on Tuesday, announced that 16 thousand packages of canned food, valued at Rp725 million, had been sent to Papua on Sunday (Jan 14) and has been gradually distributed to the affected communities in Asmat since Monday (Jan 15).
In addition to food, the ministry has also sent logistics assistance, including three tons of rice, 200 blankets, 200 mattresses, two family tents, and 50 food wares.
“As a first step, food was sought from areas adjacent to Asmat,” Parawansa stated.
A total of 63 children have died from measles, along with malnutrition, in Asmat in the last four months.
The outbreaks occurred in six districts of Asmat District. Since September 2017 till date, a local hospital in Asmat had reportedly cared for hundreds of measles patients. A total of 393 people were treated as outpatient and 175 as inpatients.
Parawansa explained that people living in the Agats Disctrict, which is the capital of the regency, have been supported by the Family Hope Program (PKH) and rice social assistance (Rastra) programs since 2016. In Agats, as many as 371 families receive the social aids.
Furthermore, the ministry has also provided funds worth Rp3.1 billion for the assistance of the remote indigenous community. The types of assistance provided include social settlement, life insurance, seedlings assistance, work equipment, and household appliances.
