Moeloek calls high maternal mortality rate a 'tragedy'
Moeloek calls high maternal mortality rate a 'tragedy'
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Farid Anfasa Moeloek,
describing Indonesia's average of 385 women dying in labor every
week "a tragedy", called for concerted efforts to reduce the
maternal mortality rate.
Citing a 1994 official record, he said maternal mortalities
averaged 390 per 100,000 live births.
"This means that every year 20,000 mothers die while giving
birth to their babies, or 385 deaths every week," he told a media
briefing in conjunction with World Health Day which falls on
April 7. The theme of this year's commemoration is safe
motherhood.
"It's a tragedy because it feels like a jumbo jet crashes
every week, killing all on board while its passengers happen to
be all mothers," he said.
He said that compared to other Association of Southeast Asian
Nation (ASEAN) countries, Indonesia's maternal mortality rate was
twice to 10 times higher. In 1995, for instance, the maternal
mortality in Malaysia was 34 per 100,000 live births, while the
Philippines recorded 208 per 100,000 live births, Thailand 200
per 100,000 live births and Vietnam 160 per 100,000 live births.
Most women who die from childbirth suffer from excessive
hemorrhaging, toxemia and infection. Many mothers also die
because they reach health care centers too late, he said.
"A mother's death does not only represent a family member's
death because mothers often have multiple roles that are not
easily replaced by others," he said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) lauded Indonesia's
campaign to reduce maternal mortalities to 225 per 100,000 by
2000, but called for accelerated action given the target is only
two and a half years away.
Quality
Robert J. Kim Farley, WHO representative to Indonesia, said
yesterday that Indonesia should focus on providing greater access
for women to affordable and quality maternal health care
services.
Farley cited a number of programs already undertaken by
Indonesia to reduce the maternal mortality rate, including
placing nearly 54,000 midwives in communities.
In addition to this, the Ministry of Home Affairs runs the
Maternal and Child Survival Project, the National Family Planning
Coordination Board operates the Prosperous and Healthy
Reproductive Movement and the office of the State Minister of
Women's Roles coordinates the Mother-Friendly Movement.
"As a result, coverage and access to primary health care
services throughout Indonesia have been significantly improved,"
Farley said.
Antara also quoted Moeloek as saying that he would assure a
steady supply of medicine, particularly generic drugs, for one
year.
"The government is providing a US$116 million (Rp 700 billion
at Rp 5,000 to the U.S. dollar) subsidy to the country's
pharmaceutical companies for the import of drug raw materials,"
he said Wednesday after visiting state-owned pharmaceutical
company PT Indofarma in Bekasi, some 40 kilometers east of here.
He said Bank Indonesia, the World Bank and the Singaporean
government had guaranteed Indonesian letters of credit (L/Cs) to
enable the country's pharmaceutical industry to import raw
materials for medicine.
The Japanese government has also extended a grant for
medicines and medical supplies worth Rp 80 billion to ensure
their availability in Indonesian hospitals, he added.
Moeloek said the prices of various generic drugs had dropped
by an average of 34 percent as of Feb. 18. Prices may go down
again by another 19 percent, he said. (swe)