PDI-P Health Team Serves Lewotobi Evacuees as Housing Wait Continues

Labuan Bajo — A medical team from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) provided free health checks and medicines to evacuees of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki at Huntara II in Konga village, East Flores, on Friday, according to FloresPos.net.

The screening was carried out in the temporary shelter area in Titehena subdistrict, with support from health workers at the Boru Community Health Center, the report said. FloresPos.net identified the team as part of Baguna, PDI-P’s disaster-response unit.

Kunradus Kusno Wada, secretary of the East Flores PDI-P branch and a member of the local legislative council, said the team included two doctors, two pharmacists, one nurse and one midwife. The report said the service drew on health workers and volunteers who were on site for the one-day activity.

Residents seek treatment

One resident, Melkianus Mena, 70, said the location made the service easier to reach and that the medicines provided were complete enough for his needs, according to FloresPos.net. Mena said he has lived with gout for years and welcomed the free consultation.

FloresPos.net said evacuees used the service for examinations and treatment, but it did not provide a tally of patients, diagnoses or referrals. The report also did not detail the quantities of medicine handed out.

The party also distributed food aid to residents from five villages affected by the eruption, with village governments receiving the supplies, according to the report. Yunus Takandewa, chairman of the East Nusa Tenggara PDI-P provincial board, was present, FloresPos.net said.

Evacuees still waiting for permanent housing

The health outreach comes as families displaced by the Lewotobi eruption continue to live in temporary shelters while awaiting permanent housing, according to FloresPos.net. The report said survivors from five directly affected villages remain in Huntara, though it did not provide a government timetable for the completion or occupancy of permanent homes.

Separate reporting by RRI on Sept. 19 said land acquisition remains a major challenge for relocation and permanent housing for Lewotobi survivors in East Flores. Another RRI report on Sept. 19 said the first phase of permanent housing in Kuhe is targeted for completion in July 2027, and that the East Flores government aims to have all affected residents moved into permanent homes by 2028.

FloresPos.net said Kusno Wada linked Baguna PDI-P’s work in East Flores to broader disaster-response efforts, including a floating hospital that has supported emergency operations. The report also said the party has helped people affected by the Lewotobi disaster since 2024.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki is located in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The eruption left many residents in temporary accommodation, and the latest health screening highlights the continuing need for basic services in the shelters while housing plans advance.

Sources

• RRI
• FloresPos.net