Most maternal deaths are caused by heavy bleeding and hypertension, which actually can be prevented in all mothers through proper medical care, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said.
"It is very important to improve health services at maternal and child health facilities. I am very grateful to the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), which has provided budgetary support of US$293 million for expanding six national hospitals for maternal and child health facilities," he added in a written statement received here on Thursday.
The Indonesian government, represented by Minister Sadikin and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), represented by its president Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, joined the symbolic groundbreaking for the maternal and child health service building at Prof.I.G.N.G. Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar, Bali.
The building is being constructed with financial support from the IsDB under the Strengthening of the National Referral Hospital and Vertical Technical Unit project.
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The project aims to increase the availability, accessibility, and quality of maternal and child health services at six vertical integrated service hospitals in five provinces: the Dharmais Cancer Hospital and Persahabatan Hospital in Jakarta province; Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, West Java province; Dr. Sardjito Hospital in Yogyakarta province; Prof.I.G.N.G. Ngoerah Hospital in Denpasar, Bali province; and Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi province.
Their development is in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to less than 70 per 100,000 births, ending preventable deaths in newborns and toddlers, reducing the neonatal mortality rate to at least less than 12 per 1,000 births, and reduce under-five mortality to as low as 25 per 1,000 births.
In addition to the construction of buildings and provision of equipment, the scope of the project also includes efforts to improve service quality through increasing the competence of hospital human resources, increasing hospital emergency response capacity, enhancing hospital information technology, and clinical research collaboration, the minister remarked.
Sadikin informed that 89.3 percent of the funding support for the project has been received from IsDB and 10.7 percent from the Indonesian government.
Through the project, the vertical integrated service hospitals receiving IsDB funds are expected to improve the quality of health services, help support maternal and child referral networks, contribute to improving the health of mothers and children, reduce deaths from child cancer, and improve respiratory health.
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Translator: Devi Nindy Sari R, Resinta S
Editor: Suharto
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