Health & Sanitation

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Well, health and sanitation in Indonesia are very different from that of the States--to say the least. My observations of TV ads and everyday interactions has led me to conclude that companies selling modern hygiene products--such as soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and cleaning products--are still trying to convince the everyday Indonesian that habits such as brushing teeth and washing hands with soap after using the bathroom (if you recall my blog post about Indonesian bathrooms, you know the later should be an especially important hygienic practice). Floss is still unknown to the everyday Indonesian; tampons are a strange concept for Indonesian girls to wrap their heads around (there are none available outside of Jakarta). All that said, all across Indonesia, bathing at least twice a day is nonetheless the standard of good hygiene. My observations about health and sanitation tie directly into economic class: when I say that the everyday Indonesian is generally not concerned with toothbrushing or washing hands with soap, it is important to remember that the everyday Indonesian is more concerned with finding their next meal. "Food" for thought, an average meal from a kaki lima(street food vendor)--outside of a big city like Jakarta-- can be cheaper than Rp. 7,000. That's a little over US 70 cents; the cheapest off-brand, new hygienic-sealed toothbrush that I've seen is Rp 3,000 or a little over US 30 cents...
Maybe when the average Indonesian starts making more than about US $50 a month, they will have the luxury of worrying about healthcare as basic as a toothbrush and toothpaste. On the other hand, I remember learning about the importance of tooth-brushing and hand-washing with soap when I was in elementary school from the guidance counselor's government mandated talk with my grade. On top of that, my whole life I've had insurance from my parents's jobs and dentist visits at least once every six months; I've grown up watching both of my parents encourage and exemplify daily dental hygiene..regular Indonesians have no such instruction, and my impression is that outside of Jakarta it is unusual to have an insurance plan provided by employers.
I have had the benefit of medical insurance and regular doctor check-ups my whole life; my host mamah told me she has gone to the doctor three times--when she gave birth to my three sisters. Americans think that good health care is expensive in the States...
A few months ago I jammed my pinky toe on the wooden block base of my family's traditional Javanese couch-thingy. Before a doctor visit was considered, an Imam who was also a traditional healer was called. He massaged my toe and foot to try and get the blood flowing; let it suffice to say that even though I consider myself as having a high pain threshold, it did not help and was still painful. After four or five days of a swollen black toe, my older cousin took me to to the clinic on my street. In the front reception of the clinic, an old man was smoking, waiting to be seen. The doctor sanitized my toe, used a needle to poke a whole in the swollen blood sack that had accumulated under my tow nail, put a bandage on my toe, and called it done. I went to the reception desk and got a prescription for amoxocilin (an antibiotic), a steroid (to accelerate healing), and another drug whose purpose I do not know. The bill was Rp. 100,000. Or a little over US $ 10. The paperwork consisted of me giving them my name and address. There was no insurance paperwork or health history paperwork to be filled out; I was not even asked if I was taking any other medications. My point in sharing this is partly to try and explain the extreme cultural chasm that I am still trying to bridge. When the Imam healer was called, it was by Nathan (another YES student whom I was visiting)'s host mother who also teaches about the health profession. In the states I would consider myself a hippie and such, but if my toe is looking and feeling as funky as it was, I want a licensed doctor that I trust, modern disinfectant, and an x-ray; please and thank you. I recognize that my reaction to situations involving health and sanitation is very different from the reaction of an Indonesian. My standards of health care and sanitation have been formed by living a regular middle class life in a first world country. Thus, I'm socialized to expect immediate access to more resources and modern convinces... such as ice for my swollen toe, a nice doc', and that great invention called an x-ray machine.
This brings me around to one of the most important things I've gotten out of my experience so far: the life-experience to enlighten me and show me first hand that first-world countries are the minority and not the majority; even though I have been lucky enough to travel quite a lot, excepting Haiti, what I've seen first-hand of the world is first-world and very privileged...I'm just now getting some perspective and realizing that the majority of the world is not as fortunate as citizens of first-world countries.