Floating Hospital (RSA) dr. Lie Dharmawan together with a team of doctorSHARE volunteers visited Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi on October 9-20, 2019. Medical services were focused on two outer islands of Buton Regency, namely Batu Atas Island and Siompu Island. The team departed from Jakarta to Bau-bau then continued the sea journey to the two points.

Batu Atas Island became the first location for medical services on October 10-12, 2019. Batu Atas Island is about 60 miles from Bau-bau Harbor, the team traveled for three hours by speed boat. A total of 20 volunteers consisting of 16 medical volunteers and four non-medical volunteers participated in the medical service. During the medical service, the team was assisted by local medical personnel from the local community health center.

Based on the report of the Coordinator of Medical Services in Buton, Devrila M. Indra, the team served 427 general medicine patients, 72 dental patients, and 30 minor surgery patients. The major surgery service at RSA Dr. Lie Dharmawan was delayed because the RSA was delayed due to bad weather during the voyage. The RSA’s original plan to go to Batu Atas Island was changed to Bau-bau Port.

The five major surgery patients recorded in Batu Atas were finally taken to Bau-bau Harbor by fast boat. When RSA arrived in Bau-bau on October 13, the volunteer major surgery team immediately moved to perform surgery on the waiting patients. Post-surgery, the patient was taken to a previously coordinated treatment location.

On October 14, the team returned to Bau-bau for an exchange of volunteer members. Preparations for medical services at the next location were also made in Bau-bau. After the preparation, the team moved with RSA to Siompu Island as the second location of medical services. During the medical service, the team was still assisted by local medical personnel in mobilizing and treating patients.

The volunteer team served 421 general medicine patients, 53 dental patients, 59 minor surgery patients, and 18 major surgery patients during the medical service on Siompu Island. The overall number of patients in medical services in Buton Regency was 848 general medicine patients, 125 dental patients, 89 minor surgery patients, and 23 major surgery patients. The most common diseases include Hypertension, Gastritis, Myalgia, and Osteoarthritis.

While on Batu Atas Island, the team encountered obstacles due to the difficulty of electricity, telecommunication networks, clean water. The state-owned electricity network has not yet entered the outermost island in Buton Regency, so the team only utilizes limited electricity from generators. The need for clean water also requires the team to collect it from residents’ wells that are still functioning. Despite the limited conditions, medical services continue to run normally.