YAYASAN KESEHATAN GEREJA TORAJA

RUMAH SAKIT UMUM ELIM RANTEPAO

Jl. A.YANI NO 68 TLP (0423) 21258, 25572 RANTEPAO – TORAJA UTARA

SULAWESI-SELATAN.

Introduction
Pos Obat Desa ( POD ) by definition is a healthcare service out by either
government or private at remote rural areas, away from the reach of primary
healthcare cervice. By comperison, POD is a smaller form of Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat
( Puskesmas ), resembling Puskesmas Pembantu ( Pustu ). The Practitioner may consist of
general physician, trained nurse, and/or trained midwife. Their main tasks are promoting
healthy lifestyle, increasing public awareness of health condition that need attentions,
and providing care to those who are sick.

Background
North Toraja is a district in south Sulawesi Province, which is consists of
mountainous regions. Acces to rural places in the area still limited, if not severely limites
in some places. Thus, it is not an easy task for the government to reach each and every
places in improving their welfare status ( health, education, socioeconomic ). For a start,
Pos Obat Desa ( POD ) was set up to assist the government in increasing the quality of
public health. Although according to the definition of POD, it is mainly about health, but
in can further be as a start point of any social activites, such as environment education
and support, school health education, agriculture education and support, and even can
be used as base for evangelism.
There are three functions of the Christian Church, Preaching, education, and
health. In regard to these, Gereja Toraja felt burden to help Toraja people at rural areas
so that they can achieve a better health status, better health education, and some other
things whicth can help to increase their productivity and economic status. In short, POD
is an arm of Gereja Toraja to fulfill is’t duty.

Pos Obat Desa Implemented by Elim Hospital

The project of POD by Elim Hospital consists of health education and medication,
environment health education and support,school health education and support,
agriculture education and support, and lastly evangelism mission. So far, we have been
able to fulfill health, environment, and school health education projects. And now we
are working on agriculture education and support project.
POD is implemented in seven areas: Sarang-sarang, Padangalla, Balepe ( 2 posts
),Sulotco, Coffee plantation comppany ), Batulelleng ( Leprosy Hospital ), and retired
pastors at Badan Pekerja Sinode ( BPS ) Rantepao

Sarang-sarang

Sarang-sarang is located quite far from Elim Hospital, it takes about two hours
away by 4WD car. There arean’t have any health centers nor health workes. We put our
registered nurse to live work as health provider. He perform health promotion,
outpatient treatment, and environmental health services. Besides, he also helped in
agriculture and evangelism. Every two months, we send a team of a general physician
and a nurse to do outpatient’s treatment service. Most of the people in Sarang-sarang
are Christian, very freindly, and respond well to this program.

Padangalla

Padangalla is the farthest area that we reach. To be able to reach there, we have
to take six hours away by car and continued with a 7 hour by walk. It has no health
centers, no health provider nor registerned nurse. People should go by walk or horse to
reach other village. We put our trained midwife to live and work as health provider. She
covers an area af ten villages, to reach the farthest village takes about one day on foot.
Every two weeks she goes from onevillage to another, which took a week trip. She
performs health promotion, outpatient treatment, maternal and child health services,
and environmental health services. Besides, she also did evangelism and became a
Sunday school teacher.

Balepe I and II

Balepe is a quite large area, so we divide it into two region : Balepe I and II. Each
has a small health center, but because of the distant, it is still difficult for all people to
get health services. Some people need to wolk more then seven kilometers to get the
nearest health center. We have put our trained midwife to live and work as health
provider in Balepe II and area still searching for another to be put in Balepe I. Our
midwife perform health promotion, outpatient, maternal and child health service.
Besides, she did evanglism together with her husband, who is a pastor in its local
Church.

Badan Pekerja Sinode Rantepao

It is an organization which nurturing retired Torayan Church pastors. It is located

in Rantepao and is the nearest Compared with the other places in our POD program.
Every month, in the first day, we send a general physician and a nurse, to perform out
patient services.

Batulelleng

Batulelleng is also located in Rantepao. There is a leprosy hospital and

settlement with some leprosy people and their family live there. The hospital was
abandoned by government and now these people don’t get any healthservices about
their disease. Every month, we send a team, consist of a general physician and a nurse,
to perform outpatient services. We clean their wound and give some medicine.
Furthermonre, we collect some food and unused goods to be distributed for these
people because they are very poor.

Sulotco

Sulotco is located about two hours away from Rantepao. There are a coffee
plantation company and some village nearby. It has no health center nor health
provides. We made an agreement with the company to be their partner in serving the
health of its employees. Every month, we send a team of a general physician and a
nurse, to perform out patient services. For each employee who comes for health service
the company will pay some little money as a change for the medicine. For people other
than their employee, we change nothing.