RI has 'unhealthy' people: Sujudi

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi has labeled Indonesians the unhealthiest people in member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Antara reported.

At a ceremony to induct several high-ranking officials at this ministry Wednesday, Sujudi said that improving the health of Indonesians was the main objective of the ministry and related institutions.

Among Indonesia's greatest challenges is to raise its people's life expectancy from 62.7 years at the end of the fifth Five-year Development Plan in 1994 to 73 years by the end of the ongoing second 25-year Development Plan in 2019.

He said the government was also trying to lower the infant mortality rate from 51 now for every 100,000 live births to 25, and to lower the maternal death rate from 390 for every 100,000 live births to 200 by the year 2019.

The government is also tackling malaria, diarrhea, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. It is struggling to increase health facilities and infrastructure and improve the quality and raise the number of midwives in rural areas and obstetricians in the regions. (swe)