Indonesian mothers surviving childbirth more often with support from husbands, community, faith-based groups
05 May 2004
Jakarta, Indonesia – When Siti Aminah started
bleeding profusely during the birth of her second child, she did not become another
grim statistic in a country where about two women die each hour as a result of pregnancy
and childbirth. Instead Siti was rushed to the health facility by her husband and
family in a village ambulance where she received blood donated by her neighbors and friends.
A comprehensive five-year safe motherhood program involving the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), the Indonesian government, the World Health Organization,
the National Family Planning Coordinating Board, and several nongovernmental organizations
led to the coordinated response that saved Siti's life. The Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH)
Program is made up of several public awareness campaigns, including Suami Siaga (alert husband),
Bidan Siaga (alert midwife) and Desa Siaga (alert village).
Jhpiego, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University, and Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP) help implement
the program in Indonesia. According to CCP researchers, a midline survey found that 60
percent of women exposed to the Bidan Siaga campaign recommended the use of a midwife to
others in their community.
Suami Siaga began in 1998 to get husbands more involved in pregnancy and
delivery to ensure the safety of the mother. Desa Siaga focuses on how to get the
entire community more involved in safe motherhood. Siti Aminah lives in a Desa Siaga
and her alert community responded appropriately during her crisis. Bidan Siaga was
launched in 2002 to promote the use of midwives and their skills. The concept of
shared responsibility for healthy mothers is the foundation of the USAID-supported
MNH program in Indonesia.
"We believe it does indeed 'take a village' to make sure mothers
survive to raise their children," said Donna Vivio, Jhpiego's Deputy Director of the
MNH Program. "The MNH Program has been remarkably successful in engaging everyone in
the village, from the husbands to faith-based groups."
Indonesia is a predominately Muslim society and Muslim organizations played
a key role in increasing acceptance of the Siaga campaigns.
The MNH program takes place primarily in two provinces, West Java and Banten,
which have a combined population of 42 million. Suami Siaga, Bidan Siaga, and Desa Siaga
use radio, television, print materials, special events, and training programs to reach
Indonesian families and communities with the concept of being alert for emergencies
during childbirth.
At the community level, individual citizens are encouraged to help arrange
for transport to the hospital, provide funds, donate blood, and recognize danger signs.
Husbands are taught to prepare for the delivery and potential complications, while midwives
are trained to know when to send women to health facilities.
The 2003 Demographic and Health Survey for Indonesia reported a drop in
the maternal mortality ratio to 309/100,000 births from 390/100,000 reported in 1994.
About Jhpiego
For nearly 40 years, Jhpiego, (pronounced "ja-pie-go"), has empowered front-line health
workers by designing and implementing simple, low-cost, hands-on solutions that
strengthen the delivery of health care services, following the
household-to-hospital continuum of care. We partner with community- to
national-level organizations to build sustainable, local capacity through
advocacy, policy and guidelines development, and quality and performance
improvement approaches.
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