JAKARTA – Health is one of the key factors in developing rural areas. Is it only attributed to the government’s programs, or companies which develop their oil palm plantations in rural areas also take part in improving the rural public health?. The following facts will answer the question?
The condition of health is part of the factors that indicate the quality and capacity of human resources. Oil palm plantation companies realize that the access to health facilities and services is an important part of human resources development.
The contribution of palm oil industries in the health sector has been also empirically proven. The companies increase the public access to health facilities through two mechanisms, namely development of health facilities in plantation areas (availability) and increase of public access to the health facilities and services (affordability).
As they live in rural and remote areas that are very far from health facilities in city centres, those villagers find it difficult to access the health facilities. To solve the problem, palm plantation companies develop health facilities, such as plantation clinics, Puskesbun (Plantation Public Health Centres) and hospitals, which can be easily and quickly accessed by workers and their family members.
Plantation companies also give health services and health education to the local people around the plantation areas. The health services include health check-up, free health treatment in plantation clinics or mobile clinics, ambulance assistance services, assistances of nutritional needs in what is called Posyandu and Poswindu, and provision of clean water and sanitation facilities (Suwandi et al., 2013; Pambudi et al., 2017; Pasaribu, 2019; Satria, 2017; Syahrida et al.,2019; Baihaqi et al., 2020; Syahza et al., 2020).
Along with the increase of income derived from cultivation of palm plantations, spending of smallholders to access the public health has also increased. (Rist et al., 2010; Krishna et al., 2017; Edwards, 2019; Chrisendo et al., 2022).
The spending for health services/facilities is the cost of getting health care and treatment (such as payments for doctor’s services, clinics and medicines/vitamins and health insurance (Syahza et al., 2021). The large amount of the smallholders’ spending shows the increase of their welfare and their better quality of life.
Source: Mitos & Fakta Kelapa Sawit – 4th Edition (Mitos 4-11)
