Berita Papua, Jayapura — World Malaria Day, observed on April 25, 2026, served as the backdrop for the closing ceremony and winner announcement of the PlasmoDX 2026 Malaria Parasite Image Guessing Contest. This online competition highlights the role of digital innovation in strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers, particularly across Papua.

​The competition, held virtually from April 10 to 24, 2026, successfully attracted 500 participants from 31 regencies and cities across Indonesia. The majority of participants hailed from Papua, representing various backgrounds including hospitals, community health centers (Puskesmas), private laboratories, and universities. The committee noted that some participants attempted the challenge dozens of times to improve their scores.

​The Committee Chair, Dr. Lenny Ekawati, explained that the contest was designed to improve the precision of laboratory analysts in identifying malaria parasite species and stages.

​"Each participant answered 42 questions per session with a 25-second time limit per question and was required to complete at least three sessions," she stated.

​The scoring system was automated based on accuracy and the best average score. This approach is considered effective for increasing both the speed of reading blood smears and diagnostic accuracy.

​The Principal Investigator of SHIELD PAPUA, Dr. Iqbal Elyazar, emphasized in his remarks that this contest is a significant breakthrough.

​"This competition is estimated to be one of the first in Indonesia, and perhaps even in the Asia-Pacific region, to focus specifically on malaria parasite identification," he said. He hopes this initiative will continue and open doors for cross-regional and international collaboration.

​Support also came from the Indonesian Ministry of Health. A representative from the PATVZGHBTB Working Team, dr. Febry Immanuella, asserted that rapid and accurate diagnosis is the primary key to malaria elimination.

​She praised the PlasmoDX platform as an innovative learning solution capable of addressing the limitations of conventional training while strengthening human resource capacity in health laboratories.

​The Acting Head of the Papua Provincial Health Office, dr. Beeri I.S. Wopari, described PlasmoDX as a digital breakthrough aligned with national policy directions to expand access to technology-based services. He encouraged future iterations of the contest to be even better prepared with larger budget support.

​At the climax of the event, the three highest-scoring winners were announced:

• ​1st Place: Ilham Munir (Sarmi Regency Health Office) – Score: 93.7%
• ​2nd Place: Antoni Tulle (Meysa Clinic, Boven Digoel) – Score: 91.3%
• ​3rd Place: Raifit (Mitra Masyarakat Clinic, Mimika Regency) – Score: 90.8%

​In his statement, Ilham Munir expressed his gratitude and emphasized that the learning process was the most important aspect of the competition. He invited laboratory personnel across Papua to continue honing their skills and never hesitate to face new challenges.

Source:

https://www.beritapapua.co/kesehatan/2026/04/lomba-tebak-parasit-malaria-plasmodx-2026-ditutup-500-tenaga-kesehatan-dari-31-kabupaten-ikut-berkompetisi/