Faith healers command respect

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: As many as 40 percent of the 3.5 million inhabitants here believe more in "faith healers" than in nurses, midwives, and doctors, an official said yesterday.

Chief of the provincial health office Agus Berek said the attitude helps explain why maternal and infant mortality rates in East Nusa Tenggara are so high.

In 1996, for instance, the mortality rate was 860 per 100,000 live births, whereas the national rate was 460 per 100,000 live births, Agus said.

He said the government was working with non-governmental organizations, churches and ulemas to improve people's awareness of health issues. (yac/08)