Evelin, a local villager of Urbinasopen, looked faint. Her face seemed to bear pain while grabbing her left hand. It has been two weeks for Evelin’s left point finger suffer from wart-like (plantar warts) pain due to human papillomavirus (HPV).
The wart actually is not a serious ailment when it is properly treated. But the 19-year-old woman has never had any information on wart treatment. She tried to cure the wart by herbal concoction. As a result, it has never been better. She said that the wart was getting more painful. Her point finger was swelling, blackish and festered. Observing the condition, the medical team of EcoNusa COVID-19 Response Raja Ampat came to see her.
Doctor Lalu Rahmat Yuanda “Nanda” Aji, a medical team of EcoNusa COVID-19 Response Raja Ampat, found that Evelin’s point finger has worsened. The wart could possibly infect her other fingers. It needs swift treatment. Otherwise, it must be amputated.
Assisted by nurse Destyana, Nanda conducted a minor surgery with the available equipment. Both medical volunteers tried to rid of the dead tissues (debridement) on the patient’s point finger. They sterilized it and gave Gentamicin ointment for Evelin’s finger.
Despite the local anesthetic prior to surgery, Evelin still felt the pain. But her determination for recovery made her strong to bear the agony. It would be better to feel the hurt than prolong her pain on the left finger. Let alone, she still breastfeeds her only kid.
“Maybe god has given way by sending a doctor here,” she said.
Seeing a medical doctor is a rare sight in Urbinasopen. The villagers rely simply on medical workers and community health center for health issues. For further treatment that needs a medical doctor, a patient should go by boat for about three hours to Waisai or Sorong.
“It seems it has been a year when a doctor came to this island,” said Evelin. “Let alone with such a Covid condition (a doctor would rarely come) as people should stay alert to walk in or out the village,” she added.
EcoNusa COVID-19 Response Raja Ampat provided health check at Urbinasopen Village. The activity was held in fronth of Immanuel Church. Upon knowing the team is heading the village for health check, Evelin went to the church for her registration.
Read also: EcoNusa COVID-19 Response Responding Pandemic Impact at Raja Ampat
As to Nanda, every community health center should have at least had two medical doctors and two dentists with nurses. But, for remote areas like Urbanisopen, such an ideal condition is just an utopia. The villagers are grateful for the existing community health center and health worker, particularly when they are aware that many other villages have even no single medical worker there.
Nanda said that, in addition to infrastructure, the community also needs education to deal with ‘sick’ paradigm among the community. Needless to mention, the awareness of community hygiene. Locals tend to ignore an ailment. Whereas, if it has been identified earlier, curative treatment would be a lot easier while citing Evelin’s case as an example. Her wart should have been cured without any surgery. But, when the wart was cured alone, it could worsen the condition.
The medical team checked 31 patients in Urbinasopen. Nanda said that the adult people of Urbanisopen commonly suffers from osteoarthritis. This ailment is degenerative with the lack of joint liquid and usually attacks peoples of 50 years of age. This ailment usually attacks big joint such as knee. Surprisingly, osteoarthritis has even fallen upon people of 30 years of age. Nanda concluded that this ailment happens due to excessive lifting activity.
Meanwhile, what happens to children is usually itchiness on the body and leg in particular. It is caused by gram-positive bacteria due to poor hygiene and barefoot habit. In fact, children in Urbanisopen never use any footwear.
“A wounded leg will be very vulnerable to ailment, let alone in such a poor hygiene, such as the wart,” said Nanda.
Editor: Leo Wahyudi
