Hapsa Salampessy: Caring for Inland Communities

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Hapsa Salampessy

After working 25 years in cities and villages, Hapsa Salampessy is not yet satisfied. She feels that her work is far from complete, as so many people in inland areas on Seram Islam do not enjoy proper healthcare services. These days, she dedicates her life to caring for inland communities, often walking from village to village.

Walking to remote inland villages on Seram Island areas appears to offer Hapsa some relief from the personal turmoil of working as a civil servant in West Seram in 1993. Back then, she often cared for patients from mountain communities who arrived at the local puskesmas (community health center) in critical condition and could not be saved.