Tapin wins national best in handling extreme poverty

Rantau, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The district government of Tapin, South Kalimantan Province, won the first best national award in handling extreme poverty, and the fifth in the national ranking for the best district/city in the same category.

Tapin Regent H Yamani said here on Thursday that this achievement was driven by the implementation of priority programs that directly targeting the basic needs of community.

“This success is inseparable with 13 work programs that we implemented together,” said Yamani to the media.

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Several flagship programs focus on direct intervention, such home renovation and free healthcare, which are considered effective in reducing extreme poverty.

The program to renovate 1,000 uninhabitable houses (RTLH) per year, he expounded, is one of the key instruments in improving the community's quality of life. The target is to rehabilitate 5,000 RTLH over five years.

“Through RTLH program, we are targeting zero uninhabitable houses in Tapin,” he said.

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Meanwhile, the free healthcare program allows people to receive treatment at community health centers (puskesmas) and Datu Sanggul Regional Hospital using only ID card (KTP), free of charge.

Yamani said that easy access to health service, also stengthens efforts to address extreme poverty by reducing the burden on low-income communities.

The award to the Tapin government was presented by the cetral government through Vice President, as Chair of National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation (TNP2K), as part of evaluation of regional government's performance in reducing extreme poverty to near zero percent.