Midwives take leading role

Midwives take leading role

CIANJUR, West Java: Most women in the West Java regency of
Cianjur deliver their babies with the help of traditional
midwives, a survey reveals.

The recent study, conducted by the University of Indonesia on
450 women in 14 districts in the town, revealed that over 74
percent of the respondents sought help from midwives during
delivery. Some 20 percent of them said they preferred educated
midwives, 14 percent sought state midwives and only 2.4 percent
went to doctors.

A local doctor, Yusrizal, said poverty was the main reason for
village women opting for traditional midwives.

The survey was also intended to observe the people's awareness
of breast-feeding. One of the researchers, Sandra Pikawati, said
most women were not aware of exclusive breast-feeding, although
they knew about the need for supplementary food for their babies.
-- Antara