I shall give birth to a child: Numerous Population, Few Survives.
Why do I,
So used to the nearness of death,
To pain and blood and screaming,
Now uncontrollably tremble with dread?
This short cut from Yosano Akiko’s poem entitled Labor Pains is sufficient to describe the feelings of a woman who is struggling with her life. In 1988, the World Health Organization stated that each year, at least there are more than 350,000 women and babies dying from pregnancy and childbirth.
Therefore, World Health Organization made a film based on a lecture by the obstetrician, Professor Mahmoud Fathalla entitled “Why did Mrs. X Die? (Retold)”. This film tells how this modern world, there are still, many women and their babies that still dying carelessly and needlessly. This kind of situation also exists in my country, Indonesia.
Indonesia’s maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in south-east Asia. This statement is stated by World Health Organization that also reinforced by a research entitled “Toward of SDGs 2030 and Maternal Mortality in Indonesia: a Cultural Perspective Review (West Sumatra case)” which states that there are at least 40 women dying every day due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth in Indonesia.
As a country that has numerous islands, there are certainly many areas that are rarely managed by the Indonesian government. The maternal health development policy in Indonesia has been going on for a long time, it started from the Maternal and Child Welfare Center (BKIA) program on 1955, as well as ratifying the Millenium Development Goals on September 2000. Yet, still, the rate of maternal mortality in Indonesia is still soaring up. This fact is very inversely proportional to the fact that in 2015 the rate of maternal mortality in Indonesia was still the highest compared to other countries in South East Asia.
To this case, factors causing death are still dominated by clinical medical variables (75%) or also known as direct obstetric factors such as severe bleeding (mostly postpartum hemorrhage), infection (usually postpartum), high blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia / eclampsia), prolonged / stagnant parturition and non-abortion secure. The other 25% is a non-clinical variable or also called indirect obstetrical factors are including socio-cultural variables, which can exacerbate the risks when pregnant and giving birth. Variables poverty, geography, transportation, gender relations, family structure, are some of the variables that can affect the health status of pregnant women.
Mama Iyai, a resident of Woge Village in Ugaikagopa Village, Papua normalizing a childbirth in the middle of the forest with the help of female traditional healers or old women in their community. Furthermore, it is commonplace for men (especially husbands) to see the wife’s blood flowing from the body during childbirth. The lack of adequate health facilities in remote areas of Indonesia makes cases like this make sense.
The population of Indonesia is the 4th largest population in the world, which is dominated by young people and middle-class economic people. This demographic bonus should be a strength for Indonesia to compete in the global arena. Attention to health must of course always be the top priority,
“a healthy society assemble a strong country.”
Especially on this topic, it is very important to have Antenatal care, health promotion accompanied by Follow-Up from medical teams in each area. Let’s help mothers fight for the rights to their lives, their children, and our future together.
