Translation from a leading local Newspaper, Pos Kupang (Kupang Post) published on May 1, 2002

Health for All (HfA) Pioneered Health Service Using Motorcycles

To overcome the problem of people in rural areas to access health services, Health for All develops a health strategy by means of motorcycles. Supporting such a social activity, HfA built collaboration and gained an agreement with Yamaha Japan that give 12 units of motorcycles with cost price.

These motorcycles were manufactured by Yamaha Jakarta and were officially handed over to HfA by local Yamaha Dealer on Tuesday, April 30, 2002. The event was taken place in the office of HfA wherein Manager of local Yamaha Dealer, Mr. Fenny Pangalinan symbolically gave a key of motorcycle to Prof. M. Patty Noach, PhD, the Head of HfA Board Members. Beside HfA Executive Staffs and Board members, the event was also participated by 25 visitors representatives of local and international NGOs as well as of local Press.

According to HfA Executive Director, Wili Balawala, the initial implementation of the program will be focused on 2 sub-districts, namely Titehena and Ileape sub-districts. As for Wili the basic concept that moves HfA to develop health service by motorcycles is grounded on the fact that one main problem of most remote villages in East Nusa Tenggara Province (where Flores is located) is accessibility to health facilities. Therefore, HfA is striving to pioneer another alternative by means of motorcycles.

Wili further underlined that one of the main problems faced by people in the remote villages is the lack of means of transportation. Beside the lack of access to public transportation facilities, health workers also do not have transportation used to reach out the villages in their areas of coverage. As a consequence, emergency cases are late to be referred to health centers or conversely health workers arrive late in the location that often time leads to failure to save a patient's life.

HfA, said Wili, is an NGO founded in view of giving response to the problem of delivering health service to people. It aims at increasing the quality of health services to the people in the remote areas, actualized in the Management of Zero Breakdown Motorcycles to be used by health workers.

Presently HfA built collaboration with Motor Riders from various countries both individually and as a group, who has concern with health issues, coordinated by the Millennium Rider, Mr. Simon Milward who has visited East Nusa Tenggara.

Meanwhile, Manager of Hasjrat Abadi Kupang, local Yamaha dealer, Mr. Fenny Pangalinan said it is our hope that motorcycles available can be used effectively in order to uplift health condition of people in the remote villages.