Researcher calls for breaking access inequality to reduce maternal mortality
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Social researcher at The Indonesian Institute (TII), Made Natasya Restu Dewi Pratiwi, believes the government needs to break healthcare access inequality in order to reduce the maternal mortality rate (MMR).
“Interregional inequality also remains a serious challenge. The evidence is that the MMR in the Nusa Tenggara-Maluku-Papua region reaches 317 per 100,000 live births, or around 2.8 times higher than the national figure. This condition shows that accelerating the reduction of MMR cannot focus solely on clinical aspects, but needs to strengthen governance, equitable access, and intervention on the social determinants of health,” said Natasya.
She made the statement during the Public Discussion of The Indonesian Forum Series 135 themed “Examining the Challenges of Reducing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in Indonesia”, quoted in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Based on the results of the 2025 Intercensal Population Survey (SUPAS), Indonesia’s MMR fell from 189 in 2020 to 144 deaths per 100,000 live births, or by 23.8 percent. However, this figure is still far from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Natasya further stated that maternal mortality is a multidimensional issue influenced by socio-economic conditions, education and health literacy, geographical conditions, health system capacity, gender norms, family support, and vulnerability to climate crises and disasters.
These various factors, she said, can increase the risk of the “three delays”: delay in deciding to seek help, delay in reaching a health facility, and delay in obtaining appropriate care.
“The national decline in MMR is progress, but the national figure must not make us ignore groups and regions that still face layered barriers. Existing policies need to ensure that every maternal death that occurs can become a lesson for improving policies and responses in the regions,” said Natasya.
Natasya also emphasised the importance of strengthening maternal death cause audits with more contextual and disaggregated data based on region, socio-economic conditions, education, age, disability, and vulnerability to disasters and climate change so that policy design does not leave behind the needs of disadvantaged groups.
To address this issue, Natasya also recommended that the government strengthen collaboration between the government and the private sector to ensure health facilities are prepared to face disasters, including ensuring the availability of logistics and the ability to provide emergency services.
“Ultimately, the success of MMR reduction policies should not only be measured by how far the national maternal mortality rate has fallen, but also by whether the gaps between regions and community groups have been successfully narrowed,” said Natasya.