Unicef concerned over high Papua infant mortality, AIDS

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has allocated US$1 million (Rp 820 million) to help cope with the high infant mortality rate and spread of HIV/AIDS in the resource-rich province of Papua.

The director of the Unicef office in Jayapura, Kiyoshi Nakamitsu, said here on Friday that the financial assistance, which would be disbursed in phases, was aimed at expressing Unicef's deep concern over the serious health problems, especially affecting women and children, in the thinly populated province.

He said that according to Unicef data, the infant mortality rate in the province reached 117 per 1,000 under-five children, which was the worst in the world.

"This means 117 out of every 1,000 infants die every year before they reach the age of one year old. This infant mortality rate is very high, and much higher than the national rate of 50 per 1,000 infants," he said

He added that Unicef was obliged and had a responsibility to cope with the serious health problems among women and their children in the province.

Kiyoshi said the high infant mortality rate had a lot to do with rampant malnutrition among women and their children, and the lack of health services, especially in remote areas.

"Many infants are doomed to die because besides being malnourished, most children and women do not have access to better health services because of poverty and the fact that they live in remote areas," he said.

He said further said that this had been worsened by the high percentage of people with HIV/AIDS in the province over the last decade.

Out of a total of 1,263 people with HIV in the province, 539 have developed AIDS. If compared to the province's population of 2.3 million, this figure is the highest in the country.

"The infant mortality rate is expected to remain high over the next ten years in line with the high percentage of people with HIV/AIDS. Prenatal babies are quite prone to contracting HIV/AIDS from their mothers. Besides, teenagers are also prone to the disease as a result of promiscuity," he said, adding that Unicef would launch an anti-AIDS campaign among high school students.

He said the assistance would distributed in five regencies -- Biak, Jayawijaya, Jayapura, Sorong and Manokwari-- and take the form of medicines, and training and support programs.