Breadfruit (malangkota.go.id) – The number of aggressive People with Mental Disabilities (PDM) in Sukun District, Malang City has increased from year to year. In 2021, the number of PDM recorded was less than 10 people, in 2022 there were 67 people, and in 2023 to early 2024 there were 80 people. The increase in the number of PDM was also accompanied by an increase in public complaints about the behavior of PDM that disturbed families and the surrounding community, such as burning houses, theft, and physical violence.
PDM who have not received appropriate services and treatment, their condition can get worse. Conditions like this often cause challenges and increasingly complex problems such as rejection from the community and even their own families. Meanwhile, there are limitations in the use of shelters. There are shelter provisions, namely a maximum time limit of two weeks and the Malang City Government shelter only has a capacity of 20 people. In addition, the provisions of the East Java Provincial Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) require PDM to be accompanied during referrals and re-accepted by their families. In addition, UPT also has limited quotas and human resources at UPT.
The challenges that arise related to PDM certainly cannot be done by just one party. Integrative action involving various parties is needed. Therefore, as an integrative preventive action, the Social Service, Women's Empowerment, Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning (Dinsos P3AP2KB) of Malang City initiated Rumah Pijar (House of Caring for Soul and Feeling). Rumah Pijar is a house where each PDM lives, where so far PDM and their residences have been synonymous with despair and gloom.
The Rumah Pijar program is managed by two agencies, namely the P3AP2KB Social Service and the Malang City Health Service, with the technical implementers being the Sub-district Social Welfare Workers (TKSK), Social Welfare Workers (TKS), hospitals, and health centers. TKSK and TKS who serve as Rumah Pijar technical officers will work together with the community to make PDM have hope again, and their homes become bright again.
Head of the P3AP2KB Social Service Donny Sandito, S.STP, M.Si said that this program is a continuation of the Family Support Group activities that have been carried out together with the Lawang Mental Hospital and the Pasuruan Bina Laras Social Rehabilitation Unit (RSBL). "The hope is that the program can be continued and sustainable, so a soft launch of this Pijar House was carried out. The Pijar House is preventive and integrative in nature that involves many parties in its implementation. Meanwhile, the locus taken as a pilot project in Malang City is Sukun District," explained Donny in the Soft Launching of Pijar House in Ciptomulyo Village, (21/2/2024).
This Pijar House is expected to fulfill the rights of PDM and facilitate the inventory of PDM needs as a basis for determining policies. The presence of the Pijar House is also expected to be able to restore the social function of PDM and restore their life expectancy. The Pijar House is also an effort to minimize the worsening of PDM conditions which have an impact on PDM aggressiveness. (ari/yon)
