Mapping of Rural Health Services during Covid-19 Pandemic in Central Java, Indonesia: Rethinking Remoteness

Covidl9 pandemic, since 2019 in global world and 2020 in Indonesia, changed human daily life and affected the provision of public services, especially health services. As Covid19 spread through close interactions among humans, rural areas have the advantage of remoteness compared to higher-density urban areas. In the villages with relatively isolated access, the spread of Covid-19 is very low compared to the national average. This paper discusses how remoteness has become two sides of the coin during pandemic by examining at the data of health services in three rural areas in Provinsi Jawa Tengah, Indonesia. Data collected by in-depth interviews showed that although remoteness became a key factor in delaying the spread of Covid19, it also became a key factor in the deterioration of advanced health services in non-covid diseases throughout the pandemic. These findings confirmed the vulnerability of basic services in rural areas, even on Java Island as a center of growth in Indonesia. Using causal network analysis, the discussion revealed that the vulnerability stem from the territorial approach in health service provision making rural areas less resilient during pandemic. This paper concludes that while remoteness provides a barrier in retaining the spread of pandemic disease, it also worsens the medical treatment capacity in non-pandemic diseases in rural areas. Covid19 pandemic raises the need of specific arrangement public health services in remote rural areas.