Jakarta – Indonesia is getting healthier on the whole, but major concerns remain over poor access to healthcare in remote areas and the persistence of several deadly diseases, the latest national health report shows.
The report shows Indonesia is on track to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but malnutrition among children, a higher tuberculosis rate triggered by an increase in HIV/AIDS cases and the country's still high infant mortality rate were today's major concerns, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said Monday during the launch of the 2010 Basic Health Research.
The government, she said, would pay more attention to reducing malnutrition, reducing the child mortality rate, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases, and increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Citing the latest triennial report, Endang said 17.9 percent of Indonesians were undernourished in 2010, a significant decrease from 31 percent in 1989.
The percentage of undernourished people had decreased to 4.9 percent this year from 12.8 percent in 1995, she said. "I'm optimistic about meeting our MDG target to reduce malnutrition," she said. To meet the targets, Indonesia's undernourishment rate must dip below 15 percent, and the malnutrition rate below 3.5 percent by 2015.
There are still sharp provincial disparities in Indonesia's prevalence of undernourishment and malnutrition, the ministry said.
Eight provinces have a prevalence of undernourishment of less than 15 percent, which is in line with the government's target. However, many provinces still have far higher prevalences of undernourishment and malnutrition.
The report shows the country's infant mortality rate has improved. However, from 1997-2007, the infant mortality rate decreased at a slightly slower rate. From 2002 to 2007, the infant mortality rate improved to 34 per 1,000 live births, from 35 per 1,000 live births.
Indonesia's maternal mortality rate, which stands at 228 per 1,000 live births this year, was a cause for concern, the ministry said. "This rate is quite high," Endang said.
In response to this high mortality rate, the government plans to launch a childbirth insurance package called Jaminan Persalinan, or Jampersal, next year.
The Health Ministry mapped out both health achievements and obstacles in the recently launched 2010 Basic Health Research report.
The head of ministry's Health Research and Development Agency, Triono Soendoro, said the report had been conducted to provide a better understanding of the country's progress toward achieving the MDGs.
"This report gives a comprehensive picture of our progress in meeting our MDGs targets," he said.
Endang said the government would put more effort into combating malaria, one of several diseases that still posed a major health threat in Indonesia.
"We are targeting to reduce malarial cases to one per 1,000 people from two per 1,000 people," she said, adding that three regions – Bali, Batam, and Jakarta – were projected to be free from malaria by the end of this year.
She said the government had been able to significantly reduce malaria in Java and Bali, but that it remained widespread in the eastern parts of Indonesia, including Papua and West Papua. (ebf)