Reliable Posyandu Cadres Make Valuable Impact to Family Health

Indonesian children and communities living in the remote villages can only rely on Posyandu (Pos Layanan Terpadu, health services in village) as the only health service available in the village. In fact, there are still many villages that do not have health workers such as midwives or nurses who are on 24 hours standby in the village. So the frontline in maintaining the health of children and the community are the Posyandu cadres. 

The role of Posyandu cadre is usually assigned to mothers in the village. Often because of the title "Posyandu cadre", many think that mothers who take on this role are only tasked with organising toddler health services once a month. In fact, the role is much more than that. The role of a cadre will also be more crucial if many toddlers in the village are undernourished or stunted. 

"To become a Posyandu cadre, there are two important things that must be owned, namely, patience and sincerity so that they can serve the community well," said Shalatiyah (46), a Posyandu cadre in one of WVI's assisted villages in East Lombok District. She continued, "Because I still face the fact that the community still does not appreciate cadres. The village heads also don't care about the Posyandu. There are still Posyandu in poor condition,". 

As a senior cadre, Shalatiyah wants no one to underestimate the role of Posyandu cadres. Especially if the district government has started to initiate the revitalisation of Posyandu, as done by the East Lombok District Government.  

Reflecting on National Nutrition Status Data in 2022, 35.6% of toddlers in East Lombok experienced stunting. To prevent more toddlers from suffering in a non optimal cognitive abilities due to this condition, the government initiated the Family Posyandu. If previously Posyandu only served infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, then Family Posyandu provides health services for the entire life cycle from pregnant women, infants, toddlers, adolescents, productive age, to the elderly. The district government realises that the issue of stunting can be resolved if it pays special attention to the First 1,000 Days of Life and to the health of the whole family. 

Welcoming this decision and initiative, Posyandu cadres must be capacitated. The role of a Posyandu cadre in the village cannot be underestimated. The focal point of the implementation of Family Posyandu services is in the hands of reliable cadres. Therefore, WVI in collaboration with the local Health Office facilitated a Cadre Orientation activity attended by 106 cadres from five villages in East Lombok. 

"Things like this are always an interesting experience for me. Being a Posyandu cadre means able to immediately know about various innovations. I also have many new friends," said the cadre who won first place in the category of Outstanding Posyandu Cadre for Health at the National Level in 2023. 

During the Cadre Orientation, Ibu Shalatiyah not only gained new insights about 25 basic skills for managing a Family Posyandu, but also acted as a facilitator. She shared her experience and motivation with other cadres. "If we have patience and sincerity, God willing, the services we provide will be better. Better services can certainly reduce the stunting rate in our area," she concluded. 

After this training, the cadres will conduct a follow-up plan at their respective Posyandu. The Health Office and village government will also assess the performance of cadres and Posyandu based on 25 indicators. By this assessment, the cadres will receive a title according to their competence, be it Begginer, Intermediate or Advance. 

With this competency title, Posyandu cadres will become a certified, tested and proven role in providing quality health services. Posyandu cadres can perform their duties well, without any oblique views from anyone. So that Posyandu cadres can contributes more in improving the life quality of children and communities in the village. 

Author: Nurpita Friska Sagala (Technical Program Coordinator for Lombok Area Programme) 

Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)