Indonesia strives to lower mother mortality rate

Indonesia's Health Ministry on Thursday launched a campaign to reduce mother mortality rate during childbirth, which has been growing. Based on a health survey last year, 359 women died in every 100, 000 child births, compared with 228 women died per 100,000 child births five years ago. Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said that she was concern about the hike of the rates in recent years. The campaign aims to boost health quality of the community as soon as possible, she said. Early health detection on pregnant women is necessary to reduce health risks, and preventive acts and monitoring on their health must be conducted as soon as possible, she said, while calling on husbands to cooperate in the process. "Our focus must be on people, as it was said by the survey. (It must be prevented) that a woman fails to have medical services or does not get an appropriate treatment when it is needed," said Nafsiah. Woman mortality rate was higher in eastern part of Indonesia, according to Akmal Taher, a director at the health ministry. He said that the ministry is to improve health services in the communities. "Besides, we would also keep coordinating with local administrations as an effort to step up the medical services to the people," he said at the ministry.