Home Institution

Georgetown University

Publication Date

Fall 2018

Program Name

Indonesia: Arts, Religion, and Social Change

Abstract

In this paper, I will explore the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and specifically diabetes in Bali. I will study the general publics’ awareness and behaviors about noncommunicable diseases, as well as the attitudes and behaviors of diabetic patients towards their own condition. Furthermore, I will explore the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of diabetes, as well as the impact of the Indonesian national healthcare reform of 2014 on these issues. My objectives in this study were to explore the perspectives of both patients and healthcare providers towards diabetes, and to compare and contrast these perspectives both against each other and against the assumptions I had made from my literature review going into the field. I found that they often challenged each other. More than anything, I found that healthcare in Bali is in a massive state of transition, from the introduction of the single state healthcare provider and increasing awareness about noncommunicable disease. Conflicting accounts from healthcare providers on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for diabetes reflect both regional differences and the changes that have already begun in Balinese health. While old mindsets about resistance to seeking medical care and misunderstandings about the nature of chronic disease persist, even strongly in more rural regencies, providers are reporting increasingly earlier diagnosis, better adherence to medication, and fewer complications in patients with diabetes.

Disciplines

Food Studies | International and Community Nutrition | Nutrition | South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies

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