International Programs

The principle of this thesis is to find, if any, associations between a low income status and receiving health care in Jakarta, Indonesia. Research questions have been posed in order to bring to light some of the blemishes that exist within the current vaccination programs, and for the audience to gain a better understanding of Indonesia as a whole. It is my hope that the results of this study will contribute to the awareness of the development and implementation of the new strategies by the Indonesian Government to increase the use of health services in underprivileged areas of Jakarta, in particular education and preventive care. The research study was carried out via self-administered questionnaires in a government health facility known as Puskesmas. There were 40 out of 50 questionnaires completed. From the chi-squared hypothesis tests, the following associations were observed: children who have received vaccinations and income, and children who are infected with a vaccine-preventable disease and income. More specifically, the chi-squared test revealed that poor children are less likely to be immunized than children from higher income parents. This lamentable finding could be due to a number of reasons. The disconnect between the theory and actuality of some health programs for the those at the lower rungs of the ladder may be bounded by the theory and the actuality by keeping in mind tradition, values, and beliefs of the people.