Funds promised for midwives in remote areas<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will offer funds to midwives
\nworking in remote areas, State Minister of Population\/Chairman of
\nthe National Family Planning Board (BKKBN) Haryono Suyono
\nannounced yesterday.<\/p>\n
The government will provide Rp 2 billion (US$900,000) to
\nmidwives serving in out-of-the-way areas, Haryono said.<\/p>\n
He told reporters that the funds would be provided in soft
\nloans through the state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) in
\ncooperation with a U.S. non-governmental organization, PROFIT.<\/p>\n
However, he declined to mention how much each midwife would be
\nentitled, saying that details were being worked out by BRI.<\/p>\n
He only said that the midwives should repay the loans in three
\nto four years, depending on their financial capabilities. He also
\nsaid that the government would only provide the funds to midwives
\nin remote villages, not to those living in the cities.<\/p>\n
Haryono said the government needed to encourage midwives to
\nserve in remote areas due to their increasing demands for medical
\nservices.<\/p>\n
He noted a 50 percent increase in the use of contraceptives
\nprovided by the government last year. Contraception by injection
\nwas chosen by nearly 10 million while one and a half million
\nIUD's (intrauterine device) were inserted.<\/p>\n
"The government, with its community health centers, cannot
\nmeet the increasing demand for services without help from private
\nmidwives and doctors," he said.<\/p>\n
Haryono said the midwives can use the funds to renovate or
\nrepair their houses to be used as clinics.<\/p>\n
He said the midwives could provide the services in the
\nafternoon or at night after their regular work in the morning at
\nthe government-run community health centers.<\/p>\n
According to Haryono, Indonesia still needs many more midwives
\nin order to place at least one midwife in each of the country's
\n65,500 villages by the end of 1999. According to the latest data,
\nas of October 1994, the ministry registered only 15,120 midwives.<\/p>\n
He predicted the increase in demand for midwives and private
\ndoctors in remote villages would be in line with the continuous
\nPoverty Alleviation Program (IDT) this year.<\/p>\n
He said that the government would distribute IDT funds of Rp
\n400 billion ($181.7 million) to poor villages to improve their
\nwelfare.<\/p>\n
"More families in villages are expected to use the funds to
\nrun home industries, animal husbandry, and trade, instead of
\nfarming," he said.<\/p>\n
Haryono said the government offers protection, in terms of
\ninsurance policies, to participants in the family planning
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
The nominal values of the policies range from Rp 1,000, Rp
\n2,500, Rp 10,000, and Rp 40,000, depending on the financial
\ncapability of the participants of the program, he said.<\/p>\n
"The government will even bear the insurance policies of poor
\nfamilies." he added.(imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/funds-promised-for-midwives-in-remote-areas-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}