At least 10,000 women have died in Indonesia this year due to childbirth related causes. This is due to limited access to health services, lack of information on healthy pregnancies and an inequality in decision-making. In Indonesia, despite what the wife may want or how she may feel the husband will always have the final say. For example, Juhri had to make a difficult decision on delivery that ultimately took his wife’s life. The doctors said that she would need a C-section because of her high blood pressure but Juhri said he did not have the money to afford one so he decided his wife would have a normal delivery anyways. There are many cases like this in which a woman is not able to choose and also that someone is not able to make the “right” decision because they do not have the resources or opportunities to do so. So without having certain opportunities and resources people do not really have much to choose from.
Indonesian government has tried to increase skilled birth attendants and information for family planning but despite these efforts and 30 years of promoting and trying there has not been an increase in the maternal mortality rate. Most of the deliveries in Indonesia are at home and use traditional attendants because of what they are taught by their culture and beliefs about pregnancy. In 3 districts of Indonesia 63/76 deaths occur in home with traditional attendants. Many citizens advise against medical assistance and when they realize they do need medical assistance it is usually too late to help the mother. While stating all of this and the government’s response to the maternal mortality rate the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey shows that there are differences between provinces. Richer provinces, such as Jakarta, have 97% of births attended by a skilled worker whereas the Maluku Islands only have 33%. The World Bank said only 40% of the 68,816 villages in Indonesia had a midwife in 2005. After noticing this trend they are trying to improve training and spread it across the country rather than just in richer provinces to create better opportunities to health care for all soon-to-be mothers.
Indonesian government has tried to increase skilled birth attendants and information for family planning but despite these efforts and 30 years of promoting and trying there has not been an increase in the maternal mortality rate. Most of the deliveries in Indonesia are at home and use traditional attendants because of what they are taught by their culture and beliefs about pregnancy. In 3 districts of Indonesia 63/76 deaths occur in home with traditional attendants. Many citizens advise against medical assistance and when they realize they do need medical assistance it is usually too late to help the mother. While stating all of this and the government’s response to the maternal mortality rate the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey shows that there are differences between provinces. Richer provinces, such as Jakarta, have 97% of births attended by a skilled worker whereas the Maluku Islands only have 33%. The World Bank said only 40% of the 68,816 villages in Indonesia had a midwife in 2005. After noticing this trend they are trying to improve training and spread it across the country rather than just in richer provinces to create better opportunities to health care for all soon-to-be mothers.
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