Indonesia has slashed its maternal mortality rate over the last decade but has not yet met the Millennium Development Goals target of 102 per 100,000 live births by 2015, an government official has said.

"This shows that the quality of health in the country is still low. The government should pay more attention to this problem, as it reflects the performance of the government in the health sector, " the Jakarta Post daily Thursday quoted the head of the National Development Planing Board (Bappenas), Paskah Suzetta, as saying at a seminar here.

In 1994, Indonesia's maternal mortality rate was 390 per 100, 000 live births. By 2004 it had decreased to 307 per 100,000. However, the figure remains the highest among Southeast Asian countries. The Human Development Report from the United Nation's Development Program shows the Philippines at 170, Vietnam at 95, Thailand at 36 and Malaysia at 30.

To accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality rates, the Indonesian government has devised a strategy drawing expertise from fields as diverse as health, education, demography and transportation.

Paskah said the government had taken some action to reduce the number of maternal deaths, such as through the Health Ministry's " Making Pregnancy Safer Program". This program increased access for pregnant women to skilled health personnel, provided reference services, prevented unwanted pregnancies and addressed complications.

However, he said, the program had not yet significantly decreased the maternal mortality rate due to a lack of policy concurrence between the health sector and other pertinent sectors.

Sri Astuti Suparmanto, director-general of public health at the Health Ministry, said the indirect factors in maternity deaths, such as the level of a mother's education and the subordinate position of women in society, play a significant role. They can lead to hemorrhaging, eclampsia, infection, puerperal complications and abortion.

"A professional strategy without people's commitment will not work, and people's commitment without a professional strategy is a waste of resources," Paskah Suzetta said.

Source: Xinhua