Faith healers command respect

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)