Saving Expectant Mothers

At a seminar for health workers on 'Improving Maternity Delivery Methods as part of General Health Services' in Semarang, Central Java last month, a piece of shocking data came to light. Only 58.7 percent of health centers around the country provided maternity services. Interestingly, in some of Indonesia's remote areas, the absence of such services has been filled by volunteers who initiated a movement to help pregnant mothers stay healthy. They hold classes on hygiene and primary health and provide them with nutritious food. The result? The diet of mothers and small children in their areas improved significantly, greatly reducing mother and child mortality rates. Tempo English reports from South Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua.