Major

Kinesiology

Minor(s)

Biology

Advisor

Lateef, Shabnam

Advisor Department

Kinesiology

Date

4-2020

Keywords

Medicine; Medical Facilities; Perception

Abstract

The way in which medicine is practiced and perceived varies across the world and is influenced by history. After a trip to Indonesia, and experiencing the local health centers first-hand, the differences in medical practices became evident. A comparison between the cities of Yogyakarta and Providence was performed with respect to different areas of medicine. The life expectancy values for the city of Providence were significantly higher than those for Yogyakarta. The top ten causes of death were examined for both cities: the number one cause being stroke in Yogyakarta and heart disease in Providence. Medical facilities and personnel, insurance utilization and alternative medical practices were compared. Puskesmas are community centered health clinics located in Yogyakarta, similar to the walk in clinics located in Providence. Both of these particular cities utilize both public and privately funded hospitals and access to these facilities become influenced by insurance. The different forms of insurance provided in these cities may affect access to medical facilities and treatment. In recent years Yogyakarta introduced universal healthcare while Providence did not. In terms of alternative medicine, Jamu is a type of traditional herbal medicine used in Yogyakarta made from natural ingredients. From observation it was clear that many people would prefer to be given Jamu before Western medicine. These variations in the practice of medicine and access to certain facilities influence the public’s perception of medicine and how they will go about treatment.

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