Teacher Nia's Testimony of her illness and the poor quality of healthcare in the Mamberamo region of interior Papua:
“At first I really didn't want to contact anyone when I began to feel pain.
On Tuesday, April 23, on the first day the children were taking the National Examination in Dabra Village in the Mamberamo region, in the afternoon,n I had begun to feel pain in my head and throughout my body. But maybe I think it's just normal pain and maybe it will disappear. When returning to a temporary residence and coincidentally in Dabra we lived with children and some of the residents of Fuau Village in the Fuau Children's Dormitory who were studying in Dabra.
At that time the condition was in a great flood, the Big River Mamberamo flooded almost half of Dabra Village and also the Dormitory that we lived in followed by flooding to the foot of the Building so if you wanted to go out the water depth reached more than my thigh. And the garbage in the entire flood area is scattered and the smell of the water was so bad, and mosquitoes spread everywhere. The situation made me very unwilling to leave the house but I had to go down through the flood-waters and bring the children to the National Examination.
By the second day of the exam, on April 24, I already felt unable to go with the children and at that time my cousin Andika [the other teacher we support in Fuau] was also unwell and some children also had begun to feel pain in their bodies. But that did not stop us, I thought this was just a normal fever, because on the night of the 23rd I felt my body being burned from head to toe and head like it didn't feel like it and in the morning the feeling of heat and pain disappeared because when I overcome it by taking ordinary fever medicine so I still choose to go with the children on the 2nd day.
After the exam ended, I tried again through the flood and at the same time I felt dizzy in my head, unable to stand up and my body felt shivering but the body temperature was high. I immediately returned to the Dormitory and rested there with the children. When before that food intake while in Dabra was never organized because it was very difficult to find food there and the price of goods was very expensive. So because the environment is unhealthy and unhealthy food this cause an epidemic in Dabra. Not only me, but there were many people who are sick there, too.
I had never felt this kind of pain until it felt like it was breaking my heart and I was screaming as hard as I could because of the pain.
Wednesday night I didn't sleep at all, I kept vomiting, dizzy, hot and everything seemed to blend together at that time, so I had to wake up the whole house because the sound of my scream was holding back the pain. On Thursday night they took me to the Dabra Health Center. They brought me by boat to get through the flood because I could not walk at that time. At the Puskesmas [government clinic] I was checked for blood and the nurse stated that I was sick of Malaria Tropica and Tertiana [both types]. I began to panic why I could be included in two types of malaria. The Puskesmas infused me and transferred me to the inpatient department.
And here I want to explain the real things I experienced there, the Puskesmas has no cleanliness at all, in the inpatient department it is very very very dirty. Garbage in every corner of the room, the floor has never been cleaned or swept away and that place is not suitable for me to live in. Buildings from the outside look good but the inside creates new diseases instead of reducing disease. I want to go home at that time but I don't think I can and the last night I was in a very badly dirty room. I think a nurse - before being taught in practice dealing with patients - must first be introduced to cleanliness. Cleanliness is the main thing. But the Puskesmas shows that the people who work in it do not have cleanliness and do not love the environment. At the same time some people also told me that they were also very uncomfortable with the poorly maintained health center. How can a nurse be able to manage a patient who is seriously ill staying in a rotten room not maintained?
It made me very angry and upset at that time. My condition is getting worse, unable to eat, vomiting every time, hot and cold. That made me unable to sleep while there.
And to the pick-up by plane that Mr. Trevor had ordered, thank God I got relief and felt like I was released from my mental stress. As long as I was there I am like a crazy person who always asks to go home while holding back the pain that attacks my body.
In the air travel from Dabra to Sentani, I still felt very dizzy to see the plane shake while in the air. In the plane I vomited nonstop. What I eat and what I drink will spit out again.
And praise God, I am currently being treated at Dian Harapan Hospital with the best treatment from the hospital.
Thank you very much for all those who helped me from picking up to my care and praying for me.
…
I already feel better than before and hope that in the near future I can recover physically healthy and my body returns to its original state because my weight dropped dramatically by 5kg [she started out already very skinny]. And this is only my first case ever of Malaria.
Pray for me. Thank you!
.
"For the Lord is your refuge, the Most High have you made your shelter, disaster will not fall on you, and the plague will not draw near to your tent; for His angels will be commanded by you to guard you in all your ways."
NOTE: This shows the sacrifice of Papuan evangelists and missionary teachers in remote Papua. They suffer substantially to bless the children of Papua.
Your donations help to provide these teachers to communities ignored by the government. Please help me continue to support these worthy servants.
