Maternal mortality reduction depends on family planning success: govt

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Directorate of Productive Age and Older Adult Health at the Ministry of Health has said that the success of family planning programs affects efforts to reduce the maternal mortality rate.

The chair of the reproductive health working team at the directorate, Wira Hartiti, said that the maternal mortality rate in Indonesia is still high due to the high number of women who are pregnant in risky conditions and lack preparation.

“The latest data shows that there are 189 cases of maternal mortality per 100 thousand live births, and this number will increase rapidly if the implementation of family planning programs is not promoted,” she expounded here on Wednesday.

Hartiti made the statement at the “Strategy for Reducing Unmet Needs and Increasing Postpartum Family Planning 2023” talk show.

According to her, the main cause of maternal mortality is high-risk pregnancy factors, such as congenital disorders, malnutrition, or infectious diseases.

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Furthermore, she said, the high rate of maternal mortality can also be attributed to women getting pregnant at a very young age or a very old age, having short inter-pregnancy intervals, and having too many children.

The risk, she added, can be anticipated by couples by carrying out health checks before planning marriage and pregnancy.

“This is where the role of contraceptive device use or family planning programs is crucial to reduce maternal mortality rates after health checks because those programs can postpone and plan pregnancies that are more prepared and healthy for mothers and babies,” she remarked.

She also highlighted the importance of educating future brides and grooms as well as couples about family planning programs.

The ministry has continued to synergize with the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) to provide education, improve literacy, and carry out social services, such as free contraception.

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