Kedungsana people join hands to save mothers<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
One mother dies out of every 299 live births in Cirebon, the
\nsecond highest maternal mortality in West Java province, after
\nBogor.<\/p>\n
Considering that some 20 years ago, the mortality rate was one
\nfor every 235 births, Cirebon is hardly making any progress to
\nsave the lives of mothers.<\/p>\n
By now, the rate should have dropped by 50 percent,\" said
\nInang Wahyudi of the Cirebon branch of the Maternal and Neonatal
\nHealth office (MNH), a non government organization that aims to
\nreduce deaths during childbirth.<\/p>\n
Inang said that since the 1980s, the maternal mortality rate
\nshould have dropped from 425 to 212 deaths for every 100,000
\nbirths. Now it was still 334 deaths for every 100,000 births.<\/p>\n
However in Kedungsana, a small village in Cirebon, progress is
\nunderway.<\/p>\n
Kedungsana is one of several villages in the area that have
\nembraced the Suami Siaga and Warga Siaga programs, Inang said.<\/p>\n
Supported by the government and the United States Agency for
\nInternational Development (USAID), SIAGA encourages communities
\nto participate in helping mothers deliver babies safely.<\/p>\n
SIAGA stands for Siap Antar Jaga, meaning \"ready to deliver
\nand take care of (mother)\".<\/p>\n
While Warga SIAGA encourages communities to develop a support
\nsystem designed around helping pregnant women. The system may
\ncover transportation to hospitals, savings and blood donors.<\/p>\n
SIAGA is the result of MNH's efforts to raise awareness about
\nbirth preparedness and possible complications through village
\ninstitutions.<\/p>\n
The program began in 1998 in Indonesia and is available mainly
\nin West Java and Banten but also in South Sulawesi, South
\nSumatra, Lampung, South Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, MNH focuses on the important role of midwives.<\/p>\n
At Kedungsana, the SIAGA program was first introduced in Dec.
\n2002, said village chief M. Surjaya.<\/p>\n
The village has one midwife and two traditional witch doctors
\nwho often help in child births.<\/p>\n
Kedungsana lies about 30 minutes by car from the heart of
\nCirebon. Just over 3,000 people live here, and two-thirds of its
\npopulation have only an elementary school education or less.<\/p>\n
Surjaya said he was surprised to see how positive response
\nwas.<\/p>\n
\"Today we always have one or two cars ready to rush pregnant
\nwomen to the hospital in case of a complications,\" he said. \"The
\ncars belong to our residents and they lend them to us at night.\"<\/p>\n
A list of 75 blood donors hangs on the wall of his office,
\nsaid Surjaya: \"if a hemorrhage happens, we'll ask the donors to
\ndonate their blood.\"<\/p>\n
He said that most donors on the list were already regular
\ndonors at the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI).<\/p>\n
Hemorrhage, obstructed labor, eclampsia (pregnancy induced
\nhypertension), and unsafe abortions account for nearly two-thirds
\nof maternal deaths, according to the United Nations Population
\nFund (UNFPA).<\/p>\n
It said that some 15 percent of all pregnancies led to
\ncomplications which, if left untreated, could be fatal.<\/p>\n
In Kedungsana, regular check-ups by the midwives have helped
\nreduced cases of complications. Saeroh, a volunteer who helps
\ncontact midwives, said that complications occurred most often
\nwith women over 35-years-old, or those who had more than four
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
\"We will refer them to either the Gunung Jati Hospital or the
\nArjawinangun Hospital, or the Puskesmas (community health center)
\nPlumbon, which is open 24 hours,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Part of the SIAGA program is to encourage parents to open a
\nsavings account in case the mother needs hospital treatment.<\/p>\n
\"A family who is expecting a new member usually opens a
\nsavings account with us. They pay about Rp 1,000 per day,
\ndepending on how much they can afford,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"If the pregnant mother needs hospital treatment, we'll make
\nuse of the savings. If not, we'll return the money.\"<\/p>\n
As Kedungsana has only one midwife, Saeroh said that others
\nfrom nearby villages could be reached in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the SIAGA program, maternal mortality rates are
\ncoming down in villages like Kedungsana. However elsewhere in
\nIndonesia, the rates remain high.<\/p>\n
According to MNH data, the nation's average maternal mortality
\nrate is 390 for every 100,000 births. The rate ranks among the
\npoorest in Asia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kedungsana-people-join-hands-to-save-mothers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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