Indonesia Targets Lower Maternal Mortality Rate

TheIndonesia.id - The National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) is targeting to reduce national maternal mortality rate, or MMR, by encouraging parents to limit the number of children in a family, chair Hasto Wardoyo confirmed.

The head of BKKBN said that based on survey in 2015, MMR in Indonesia was 305 deaths per 100,000 live births while total fertility rate (TFR, or births per woman) in 2021 reached up to 2.24.

Wardoyo said there is significant correlation between MMR and TFR, and BKKBN aims to lower TFR in Indonesia to reduce the probability of future maternal deaths. It’s also targeting to lower early childbearing which increases risk of death.

“The achievement which we wish to reach immediately is reducing childbirth in women aged 15 to 19,” Wardoyo said on Thursday, August 11, as reported by Antara. “Therefore, the number of children born can be limited because, on average, one family now only has two or three children.”

Besides focusing on lowering TFR, BKKBN also puts attention on reducing unwanted pregnancies that can trigger increasing unsafe abortion.

Contraception is cited as the best method to plan pregnancy gap and avoid complications, especially since healthcare service in Indonesia continues to be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we all know, there are still 17 percent of unwanted pregnancies, and this has to be reduced. In 2013, the number was 46 per 1,000 – now, it is 20.5 per 1,000. It has to gradually lower, and the decrease appears to be consistent,” Wardoyo said.

He lastly urged families to start planning pregnancies, so they can physically and mentally prepare to provide conducive environment for children, so they can grow and develop healthy.

Proper planning is also expected to prevent mothers from suffering from postnatal depression that will affect parenting.