500 infants die every month in W. Kalimantan

Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Poor service at public health centers in West Kalimantan has been blamed for the province's high mortality rate among babies and their mothers.

A survey conducted by the provincial health office shows that as many as 6,000 new-born babies die every year.

The survey said there were 46 deaths for every 1,000 newborn babies.

"Although there is no exact data on the infant mortality rate in West Kalimantan, at least 6,000 babies die every year in the province," M. Subuh, who led the team responsible for the research, told a seminar on Wednesday in Pontianak, the province's capital.

The nation's infant mortality rate is 46 deaths per 1,000 live births, according to health ministry data.

West Kalimantan's infant mortality rate is, however, lower than that of West Nusa Tenggara, which has 68 deaths per 1,000 births, and Central Sulawesi, where there are 59 deaths per 1,000 births.

Subuh was quoted by Antara as saying the survey found that 400 out of every 120,000 women die while giving birth in the province, meaning that between one and two mothers die every day.

However, the figure is still below the national average maternal mortality rate, Subuh said.

According to data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 380 out of 100,000 mothers die while giving birth in Indonesia.

This figure is 10 times higher than in Thailand, 11 times higher than in Malaysia, and 75 times higher than in Singapore, the UNFPA added.

Subuh said they were aiming for a maternal mortality rate of only 16 out of every 100,000 births, like in Singapore.

In Sri Lanka, which is among the poorest nations in Asia, the maternal mortality rate is only 50 per 100,000 births.

According to the survey, bleeding was the main cause of death among mothers giving birth in West Kalimantan. It said the high mortality rate stemmed from the poor service provided at village- based community maternity health clinics (Polindes) and also the province-wide shortage of midwives.

This was all due to the province's limited budget for maternity health clinics, the survey said.

"This condition endangers pregnant mothers," Subuh said.

His statement was echoed by Andre Tano, a doctor from World Vision based in Sungai Pinyuh, West Kalimantan, who last month conducted research on the health of mothers and children in the town of Landak.

The research shows that only 15 midwives were available in 30 Polindes in the subdistricts of Sengah Temila and Mandor.

The shortage of midwives makes it difficult for mothers to monitor their pregnancies and give birth safely, Andre said, adding that many births were still assisted by traditional midwives.