UNS — “Make our life meaningful. Life is not about duration, but about contribution,” is the answer from Audina Sholicha, a young midwife who graduated from the Diploma Program (D-3) Midwifery Universitas Sebalas Maret (UNS), when she was asked about her life principle.
She implemented her life principle by serving as a midwife in the Community Healthcare Center (Puskesmas) Kabalsiang Benjuring, Aru Islands, Maluku for two years. In the last ten months, she serves the border region through the Program Nusantara Sehat (Healthy Nation Program) from the Ministry of the Health Republic of Indonesia with six other people with different skills. The Sukoharjo girl explained that the program focuses on innovation, including in Community Healthcare Center.
As a midwife, Audin has several duties: conducting check-ups for pregnant women, conducting a family planning program (KB), checking toddler’s and baby’s growth, and assist baby delivery in the Puskesmas. “We provide integrated primary healthcare services, we do not focus on the curative stage, but we introduce the promotive and preventive stages as well. Thus, we also improve people’s awareness of the importance of health. At least they are aware of applying a clean and healthy lifestyle,” Audina explained on Saturday (10/7/2021).
Equal Healthcare Services
Working as a healthcare worker is Audina’s dream. Failure to be admitted to the medical education did not stop her from achieving her dream and encouraged her to study midwifery. She stated that she wants to provide equal healthcare services for all walks of life. “(We) cannot consider such things (different treatment in healthcare services). I need to work directly in the community, and speaking is not enough. I want to serve the border regions,” she added.
Her vision and mission found a way to be applied when Audina found Nusantara Sehat which aims to strengthen primary healthcare services in the border regions. Through the program, Audina currently stays in the Aru Islands, the outer islands of Indonesia bordering Australia. “This is my dream that, Alhamdulillah, I could achieve. Even though I have two years, hopefully (my program) could be effective and implement my dream,” she stated.
This step is the implementation of her life principle to make life meaningful for everyone because life is not about duration but contribution. “While Allah still gives us health, let’s use it to the best, to be meaningful for other people, make things easier for other people,” she said.
Mentally Ready, 24 Hours Ready
Discussing the challenges that she faced, Audina stated that it is normal for healthcare workers to be ready 24 hours a day in every condition. Moreover, a midwife must help in delivery with random birth times. A midwife also needs to be resilient as they help two life in one action, the baby and the mother. The greatest challenge that Audina experienced in Aru Islands is to educate people with diverse beliefs and traditions to have their delivery in the Puskesmas.
The community prefers local baby shaman because they feel safer to have delivery with the shaman. Thus, they do not go to Puskesmas. Moreover, there is a local belief that a woman who just delivered a baby cannot touch the land at all for forty days. “Thus, when they deliver in Puskesmas, it contradicts their culture,” Audina explained.
Language is another challenge. The team was demanded to prepare a cultural approach for the community, using local language and coordinate with traditional and religious leaders. Audina gave an example of local culture that requires a fireplace for a new mother and her baby. “This is not good for baby respiration; they could get an acute respiratory illness. We cannot forbid such practice directly. We communicate with the traditional leaders and let the traditional leaders deliver it to their people; we mainly assisting,” she added.
The next difficult challenge is access to the island. The Puskesmas they serve is located on an island with two villages, surrounded by the vastness of the Arafura sea. To reach the nearest city, people need a ten-hour trip using boat or motor boat, which hinders them when they want to refer a patient to the city.
The next challenge is the coverage of Puskesmas Kabalsiang services that serve five areas, three of which are in separate islands. Thus, the team should be ready to serve patients from other islands, with all the challenges from the sea, bad weather, and high tide. “In high tide, nobody dares to go to the city. If we serve patients from other islands, five hours waiting for intravenous treatment, we cannot go home because of the low water. So, we need to stay the night and wait for the water to go up,” Audina said.
The fourth challenge is electricity that depends on solar panels. Thus, electricity is only available from six or eight pm. Water has limited availability because the community depends on rainwater. There is also a challenge of limited equipment, which does not stop the team but instead improves their creativity. “We can’t give up. (We can’t think) that without this tool we can’t do this. We must be creative. One tool can be used for several things,” Audina shared.
At the end of the conversation, Audina shared her hopes and cheer-up other healthcare workers, especially midwives, to stay strong and safe babies and mothers amid the pandemic.
“The keys for midwife are three: head, hand, and heart. Do not forget to love mother and baby with heart and love. The greatest happiness in being a mother; the second is being a midwife. Stay strong for tough midwives!” she concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa Hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti