Mother Born In Car Because There Are No Health Workers, Puan Highlights Health Service Negligence

Puan Maharani (Photo via Dok DPR)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, reminded the Government to ensure that it provides guarantees for services and health facilities (faskes) for women throughout the country. Including mothers as printers of the nation's next generation.

"The government must be able to fulfill the basic rights of women, mother's basic rights in terms of fulfilling health services and facilities. The state must be present to provide the best service," said Puan, Tuesday (16/7/2024).

Puan also highlighted the case of pregnant women in Banyuwangi, East Java, who were forced to give birth in a car because health workers were not in the health facility. When the woman from Kandangan Village came to the house with the Sarongan Assistance Health Center, she found an empty delivery room with no medical staff on duty so that her child was born in the car on Thursday (11/7).

Even though the woman named Sudanisih had been in pain with childbirth since 7 am and her clothes broke while on her way to the puskesmas. In the viral video, Sudanisih's family can be seen panicking and confused about seeking help because there are no medical personnel at the puskesmas.

Luckily, a nurse happened to pass by, helping Sudanisih give birth in the car. Puan regretted this incident.

"The incident that happened to the First Lady of Sudan should not have happened if the Government seriously carried out its mandate to provide health services to every citizen wherever they were, even in remote areas," said the first woman who served as Chair of the DPR RI.

Puan is grateful that mothers and children are reported to be in a stable condition considering that not a few women experience complications when giving birth. Even so, he expressed concern about what Sudanisil experienced because of the lack of maximum health services in the regions.

"Don't let similar cases happen again. The state must ensure that there should be no more Sudanisih-Other Sudanisih who are forced to give birth in limited conditions due to poor health services," said Puan.

Based on data from the 2020 Population Census, the maternal mortality rate reached 189 per 100 thousand live births. This figure makes Indonesia ranked second highest in ASEAN in terms of maternal mortality, much higher than Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, and Vietnam, which are already below 100 per 100 thousand live births.

Meanwhile, cases of infant mortality in Indonesia were recorded at 16.85 per 1,000 live births. Puan asked the Government to pay serious attention to health services for mothers and children.

We ask the Government to conduct a thorough evaluation to prevent this kind of negligence from happening again. This incident raises concerns about the availability of medical services in the regions," the mother of two said.

Puan also encouraged the Government to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the regional health system to prevent a lack of health services for the community, including in remote areas.

"Increase access and quality of health services, especially the addition of medical personnel, and adequate health facilities," said Puan.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture reminded that the Government's obligation to provide the best health services for the community is a mandate of the law that must be fulfilled. Puan also emphasized the importance of improving the quality of health services for mothers and children, including assistance for pregnant women.

"This is why the DPR initiated Law Number 4 of 2024 concerning Maternal and Child Welfare in the First Phase of the Thousand Days of Life (UU KIA) because the DPR views it as important to guarantee all mothers in any circumstances, including mothers with special vulnerabilities," he explained.