Health Technology In Indonesia

Not all technological applications mentioned can work for all programs and settings.
What works for an urban program may not work for a rural agency. The same applies to developed and developing countries. So, the need to select and use the appropriate technology that fits for the geographic setting is an important element that must be considered in the planning and implementation of public health and epidemiological programs.
Read the following statistics (The World Factbook, 2010):

•Overall population: Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world: 242,968,342 people (as of July 2010).

•Urban population: The urban population is 52% of the total population (2008).

•Languages spoken: There is one main national language in Indonesia—Bahasa Indonesia. However, there are thousands of regional languages and dialects across Indonesia; it is a country rich in ethical and cultural diversity.

•Number of islands: Indonesia is an archipelago nation made up of approximately 18,000 islands.

In this context, create a discussion that addresses the following:

•You want to deliver food to those Indonesian islands affected by the famine. What would be the most appropriate information technologies to use in order to develop a network of communications that would enable you to deliver food to those islands affected by the famine?

•Consider an organization you have studied in this course and consider the type of multimedia they could use to deliver communications among this diverse population that speaks several languages and dialects. How would the organization go about this? Have they done this before?

Resource

CIA. (2010). The World FactBook. Indonesia. Retrieved November 20, 2010 from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html.

Examples of the coursework needed. Do not qoute any of this work unless it comes from the WHO, PAHO, UNICEF.

Technology in Diverse Demographic Settings

As a result of researching, analyzing the Data and the numerous other forms of information associated with the Archipelago of Indonesia, (a group/cluster of Islands) and that particular region of Asia altogether. There are two information technologies that I feel are most appropriate and would prove effective in responding to the numerous Public Health crisis’s at hand within that country, not to mention also delivering food, and working with other entities to establish, develop and implement a strong means of Communication with the people throughout that country, and within the closely adjoining Countries.

The two forms of technology to best achieve the desired goal would include utilizing the resources of HealthMapper from the World Health Organization, and the SIGEpi software. The HealthMapper is an interactive information and mapping system designed for public health managers and decision-makers who need easy access to a database, reports, graphs, tables, spreadsheets, and maps. (WHO, 2011) Both resources have been implemented, and utilized throughout numerous and similar regions in the world by the WHO, and their respective branches. (The Caribbean, Mexico, The Virgin Islands) For more than a decade WHO has invested in working with countries to develop in-country capacity in the use of public health mapping, mostly through disease programs. In times of crises, the Health Mapper has been a major vehicle for analysis and presentation of critical public health information for the World Health Organization, and therefore for the overall responses. For example, there was an issue of the PAHO Epidemiological Bulletin which had an article profiling that software and another piece showing how SIGEpi has been used in Mexico to identify localities vulnerable to environmental risks. (WHO, 2001) These resources have also aided Government and Public Health Professionals as a guideline when it comes to establishing, monitoring, and continuously evolving a means of Communication for the Communities, Countries, and others within that Region. The information can be further used by the Public Health Professionals aiding with the Cultural and Diversity Barriers (there are a ton of them) that are sure to arise for future projects and progress.

In terms of establishing a means of strong communication in Indonesia, has had a complex history of communications due to its spread as an extended archipelago. The official language of Indonesia is known as Indonesian or ‘Bahasa Indonesian’. Indonesian is a standardized dialect of the Malay language and was formulated at the time of the declaration of Indonesian independence in 1945. However, Malay and Indonesian remain very similar. Although the official language, in reality it is most of the population’s second language. (WHO, 2011) Indonesians are indirect communicators. This means they do not always say what they mean. It is up to the listener to read between the lines or pay attention to gestures and body language to get the real message. In recent years there have been numerous entities working to establish a means of Mass Media Communication(s). (WHO, 2011) (Electronic and Non-Electronic) The importance of non-electronic means in the past has given away to a considerable infrastructure of telecommunications in Indonesia.

In conclusion, the HealthMapper, SIGEpi, and GIS mapping technologies are among the technologies being increasingly used to support outbreak and response activities world-wide. I have learned that these technologies are especially well-suited to the dynamic nature of outbreaks and have significantly advanced the ability to track, and visualize outbreaks, and other Public Health crisis evolutions in real time. Baseline geographic related-data that has been used in conjunction with HealthMapper, SIGEpi, and GIS such as; the Basic Infrastructure, Health Services, Populations, Community Structures, etc. Which can help Government and Public Health Professionals effectively determine when the response efforts need to compensate for absence of local transport, inadequate communications equipment, or other rudimentary infrastructures. Baseline data further guide transportation of teams and supplies by the fastest means, and show where supportive health infrastructures are located.

Technology in Diverse Demographic Settings
References:

The World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (2001) “Geographic Analysis Software Aids Public Health Decision-making.” (SIGEpi) Retrieved on May 19, 2011, from http://www.paho.org/english/paho/headlines-former-2001.htm.

The World Health Organization. (2011) “Public Health Mapping and GIS.” Retrieved May 19, 2011, from http://www.who.int/health_mapping/tools/healthmapper/en/index.html

Technology in Diverse Geographic Settings

•Overall population: Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world: 242,968,342 people (as of July 2010).

•Urban population: The urban population is 52% of the total population (2008).

•Languages spoken: There is one main national language in Indonesia—Bahasa Indonesia. However, there are thousands of regional languages and dialects across Indonesia; it is a country rich in ethical and cultural diversity.

•Number of islands: Indonesia is an archipelago nation made up of approximately 18,000 islands.

•You want to deliver food to those Indonesian islands affected by the famine. What would be the most appropriate information technologies to use in order to develop a network of communications that would enable you to deliver food to those islands affected by the famine?

Given the information listed about Indonesia, there are two information technologies appropriate to respond and deliver food in addition to developing a network of communications. The two forms of technology to best achieve the desired goal would include utilizing the resources of HealthMapper from the World Health Organization, and Geographic Information Systems. Both sources offer information helpful to aid those in connecting and maintaining communication in addition to being able to reach everyone who needs help among the 18,000 islands and those dealing with ethical and cultural diversity issues.

•Consider an organization you have studied in this course and consider the type of multimedia they could use to deliver communications among this diverse population that speaks several languages and dialects. How would the organization go about this? Have they done this before?
UNICEF is an organization researched several times in this course. In terms of communication and multimedia, UNICEF has been a large part in an effort to help the people of Indonesia. Between the two types of technological sources, Geographic Information Systems would be best suited for communication purposes and delivering food to the various areas. GIS allows an individual to question, view, interpret, visualize and understand data in many ways that reveal trends, relationships, and patterns, shown in reports, maps, charts, and globes. GIS technology is also capable of being integrated into any enterprise information system framework (GIS, 2011). The government has used GIS for Fire/Emergency and Medical Services/Disaster to get critical information to incident responders and dispatchers; there is also transportation connection which offers insight for analysis and network planning, route planning analysis, vehicle tracking and routing. Businesses have also utilized the service for media bureaus to analyze attracting and circulation advertisers to create the maps used in the material itself. Also with USA TODAY, The Associated Press (AP), and National Geographic Society have all used GIS software to create accurate maps quickly for newspapers, and magazines. GIS can also be used to help the media keep the people informed about emergency services. GIS provides information about the type of land such as in Indonesia which can prove to be helpful in situations such as an epidemiological event/disaster (GIS, 2011). In terms of the language barriers, GIS provides information on education which can lead to locating individuals willing to assist with the regional languages and dialects across Indonesia.
UNICEF has used multimedia such as television and internet videos to get the word out about children, food shortage and disaster relief. UNICEF has also work to bring in locals who can translate and help with volunteer work. An example of when a crisis happened was in JAKARTA, Indonesia, on October 28, 2010. There was an earthquake in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province where the volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi in Central Java. UNICEF took steps to work closely with the Government of Indonesia partners to provide emergency assistance for children (UNICEF, 2010). In addition, previous investments made by UNICEF and other UN agencies after the 2004 tsunami, that devastated the province of Aceh, have created additional help to strengthen Indonesia’s capacity to effectively manage sudden humanitarian crises (UNICEF, 2010). Also, another organization was the Indonesian Ministry of Health who worked with UNICEF to ensure that breastfeeding mothers affected by the disasters have support to help care for their babies. Donations were also made to help those in need after the disaster. For any type of organization or public health worker, knowing how to obtain resources and where they exist such as GIS, ESRI, and HealthMapper, organizations can respond quickly and know exactly what’s needed, what to expect and most of all, having the correct data in any type of disaster means the difference in lives saved.

References

GIS. (2011). Who uses GIS. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://gis.com/
UNICEF. (2010). UNICEF provides support to victims of Indonesian natural disasters. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/media_56666.html

WHO. (2011). Public health mapping and GIS. The HealthMapping. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.who.int/health_mapping/tools/healthmapper/en/index.html

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