VOA标准英语2011--Indonesia Clinic Discounts Healthcare fo

Indonesia Clinic Discounts Healthcare for Conservation-Minded Communities

Getting access to adequate health care can be difficult in many parts of rural Indonesia, a necessity that often involves long journeys to overcrowded clinics. And once there, many patients often find they cannot afford the costs of treatment and medication.

Take Sukadana for instance, a dusty village outside Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan. Infrastructure 1 is poor, water is increasingly scarce and the supply of electricity is sporadic 2.

Tuberculosis 3, malaria 4 and whooping 5 cough are common and can have a detrimental 6 affect on poor villagers unable to access treatment.

Often people here must travel more than two hours on bumpy 7 roads to reach the district’s only hospital. But even there resources are thin. Doctors often spend little time with patients, which can result in misdiagnosis.

Ira, a local resident, says she prefers not to go to the hospital because of the lack of coordination 8 and personal care.

She says if there is an emergency they only have one room and the patients dance around each other. The staff are not well trained and they do not know the proper doses of medicine to give out. She does not like, she says.

To help provide better care to the remote district, American doctor Kinari Webb helped co-found Alam Sehat Lestari, or ASRI.

The non-profit organization uses its clinic to provide high-quality, affordable 9 health care to an area that, until recently, had the worst health record in the region.

The clinic allows patients to pay through non-monetary means, such as woven baskets, seedlings 10 or labor 11 exchanges. Because of low literacy rates, Eka, the pharmacist, draws symbols on prescription 12 labels: a sun means morning; a moon, night.

When the medication is ready, the cashier, Nani, who goes by one name, explains the payment procedure.

She says the medicine is Rp25,000, the doctor consultation 13 Rp5,000, so the total is Rp30,000, or about $3.50. She says that here you can pay with baskets, weavings, seedlings. She says the clinic will also accept things from your garden.

The barter 14 payment system is part of ASRI’s dual 15 mission, to combine health care with conservation.

People in West Kalimantan have long depended on the forests for their livelihoods 16. But rising timber prices have been a boon 17 for illegal loggers. Webb says most communities do value the forests, but often illegal logging is their only way of earning an income.

“Even if you know that if you protect the forest that’s good for your long-term well-being 18, if you’re short-term well-being, like you have to get health care and you have to be able to pay for it, you’re willing to do illegal logging to do that," Webb says.

To increase awareness 19, patients get conservation education as they wait to register at the clinic. Many of ASRI’s 70 staff also work in the field, helping 20 communities build alternative livelihoods, like organic farming.

As an incentive 21 not to log, ASRI provides discounted health care.

Each month someone from the organization visits the surrounding villages to determine if they are actively 22 logging or burning land within the national park. Communities that do not participate in illegal logging pay about 40 percent less than those that do.

ASRI’s clinic is small, filled with the constant hum of a generator 23.

A nurse calms four-year-old Amelia, who was recently in a motorbike accident. Later, Doctor Kinari Webb will see a baby with whooping cough and a mother and daughter suffering from tuberculosis.

A program the organization started in May identifies forest guardians 24 who work with the community to curb 25 illegal logging. One of the guardians says he entered the program because ASRI helped his son recover from tuberculosis.

Webb says people were skeptical 26 when ASRI first starting operating. They preferred to go to the hospital, and few saw the benefits of the incentives 27 the clinic was offering. Now, people happily share stories about the clinic’s services.

Amelia’s mother is one of them. She has been coming to the clinic since her daughter was eight months old. She says the treatment is good, and so is the medicine.

Doctor Webb smiles when she hears that.

“Health care is an incredible key," she says. "Everyone knows we care, and we’re helping save their lives.”

Webb says a healthy planet is essential for healthy humans, and the organization’s goal is to break the link between the high costs of health care and the need to cut down the forests.

点击收听单词发音  






1
infrastructure

  
 


n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施


参考例句：





We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。












2
sporadic

  
 


adj.偶尔发生的 [反]regular；分散的


参考例句：





The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.仍能听见零星的枪声。
You know this better than I.I received only sporadic news about it.你们比我更清楚，而我听到的只是零星消息。












3
tuberculosis

  
 


n.结核病，肺结核


参考例句：





People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。












4
malaria

  
 


n.疟疾


参考例句：





He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。












5
whooping

  
 


发嗬嗬声的，发咳声的


参考例句：





Whooping cough is very prevalent just now. 百日咳正在广泛流行。
Have you had your child vaccinated against whooping cough? 你给你的孩子打过百日咳疫苗了吗？












6
detrimental

  
 


adj.损害的，造成伤害的


参考例句：





We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。












7
bumpy

  
 


adj.颠簸不平的，崎岖的


参考例句：





I think we've a bumpy road ahead of us.我觉得我们将要面临一段困难时期。
The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track.铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。












8
coordination

  
 


n.协调，协作


参考例句：





Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。












9
affordable

  
 


adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的


参考例句：





The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。












10
seedlings

  
 


n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )


参考例句：





Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》












11
labor

  
 


n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦


参考例句：





We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。












12
prescription

  
 


n.处方，开药；指示，规定


参考例句：





The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。












13
consultation

  
 


n.咨询；商量；商议；会议


参考例句：





The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。












14
barter

  
 


n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易


参考例句：





Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。












15
dual

  
 


adj.双的；二重的，二元的


参考例句：





The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。












16
livelihoods

  
 


生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )


参考例句：





First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。












17
boon

  
 


n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠


参考例句：





A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。












18
well-being

  
 


n.安康，安乐，幸福


参考例句：





He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。












19
awareness

  
 


n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智


参考例句：





There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。












20
helping

  
 


n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的


参考例句：





The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。












21
incentive

  
 


n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机


参考例句：





Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。












22
actively

  
 


adv.积极地，勤奋地


参考例句：





During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。












23
generator

  
 


n.发电机，发生器


参考例句：





All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。












24
guardians

  
 


监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者


参考例句：





Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。












25
curb

  
 


n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制


参考例句：





I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。












26
skeptical

  
 


adj.怀疑的，多疑的


参考例句：





Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。












27
incentives

  
 


激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机


参考例句：





tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法