Basic Human Services
Objective: Improving the Quality of Basic Human Services
Program Description
The Challenge
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More than 140 million people live on less than two dollars a day and lack adequate health services, food and sanitation.
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Nearly one-third of the population (over 75 million people) lacks access to clean water.
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Preventable, poverty-related diseases, such as diarrhea, cause hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
The Goal
- Governments, communities, organizations and the private sector mobilize to advocate for higher quality basic human services
- Basic human services are delivered effectively at the local level
- Improved practices and behaviors are adopted at the community and household levels
Programs
The delivery of basic human services at the local level is critical to the health of Indonesians. Under Indonesia’s decentralization law, local governments are responsible for the delivery of health care, water and sanitation. To help improve the health and quality of life for vulnerable populations, USAID supports an integrated program that strengthens the capacity of local governments and partners to deliver quality health services in both the public and private sectors. A key component is the promotion of legislation that supports priority health interventions, such as MCH, HIV, TB, malaria and FP/RH services.
health Services
Vulnerable populations – in particular the urban poor, women and children, and other most-at-risk populations – are the principal beneficiaries of USAID’s public health program. Working with local government agencies, non-governmental organizations and other partners, the program focuses on: maternal and neonatal health; child health and nutrition; prevention of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and avian influenza; decentralization of the health sector and improvement of personal hygiene practices. A comprehensive education program improves understanding and adoption of healthy practices, such as regular hand washing with soap, which reduces diarrheal disease – a leading cause of childhood morbidity and death.
Safe Water and Environmental Services
USAID supports better health through improved water resource management and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services. With a ‘ridges to reef’ approach, partners improve water resource management from watershed sources along rivers and through cities to coastal reefs. In the upper watershed, the program promotes forest management, biodiversity conservation and land use planning to protect a steady, year-round source of clean water. Further downstream, the program strengthens municipal water utilities to improve and expand piped water and sanitation services to communities. Stakeholder forums link upstream and downstream communities to build consensus on water and waste management issues. Marginalized urban communities also benefit from the introduction of safe drinking water through Air Rahmat, a home chlorination product introduced to the market through a public-private partnership.
Recent Accomplishments
Maternal and Child Health programs in Indonesia significantly increased their coverage of care in FY 08, in some cases doubling the number of women and children who benefited. These programs helped 595,000 women safely deliver babies in the presence of skilled birth attendants; provided essential care to 391,000 newborns; treated 1,243,000 cases of child diarrhea; and provided 469,000 children under age five with nutrition services.
Through community outreach, the HIV/AIDS program reached 1,740,000 people at high risk of HIV infection; 84,594 people received counseling and testing for HIV; and 132 local organizations were trained in HIV/AIDS programming. Technical assistance helped strengthen 10 district health systems in Papua. The national TB Case Detection Rate rose from 20% in 2000 to 60% in 2007, with almost all public clinics implementing Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS). More than 13,600 specialists and other health professionals were trained in International Standards of TB Care. Laboratory TB diagnosis capabilities were improved in nine provinces. Through the malaria prevention program, 157,000 pregnant women received treated bed nets and 1,237 midwives were trained to detect and treat malaria.
USAID’s Community-based Avian Influenza Control Project trained 705 animal health staff in surveillance and outbreak response; helped create surveillance teams in 115 districts – 25 percent of Indonesia – which are actively finding and responding to poultry outbreaks, and trained 1,640 village volunteers to prevent outbreaks in as many villages. For more information, see USAID Fact Sheet on Avian Influenza Control.
In the areas of Water and Environmental Health, 205,114 households are accessing improved water sources; 138,237 people are benefiting from improved sanitation systems and 702 million liters of water have been treated by a point-of-use method. More than 124,526 people have been reached directly through hand washing activities, trainings and school programs.