Partnership Objective
Enhancement of community health and medical care including prenatal checkup, midwives attendance for natural birth, general practive, prescribing drugs, immunization and deploying midwives.
Consultation event at the clinic.
Copyright People's Hope Japan
What are the health needs and challenges?
Infant mortality rate, under five mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate are quite high in the banteng Province.
Description of partnership activities and how they address needs and challenges
People’s Hope Japan (PHJ) implements community health care and nutrition improvement projects together with the provincial health department, provincial hospitals, health centers, and village clinics.
After discussing with the Indonesian government the best provinces to work and listening to local communities to identify health needs, People’s Hope Japan (PHJ) set up their projects on maternal and child health. For nearly 10 years, PHJ provided educational programs and seminars in Indonesia on the importance of medical are in the community, but came to the conclusion that substantial improvement could not be accomplished without sufficient medical care centers that would offer 24-hour service and workplaces for midwives.
In 2009 Astellas committed to build birthing centers and health clinics in Banteng province to meet this health need.
Lessons learned
Basic education of local residents is important to fully utilize the birth center and health clinic. Based on PHJ’s long lasting efforts of awareness raising around the issue, the importance of birthing centers and health clinics are well recognized and the utilization rate is high.
Summary of impact through December 2013 and forward looking information
By March 2012, Astellas donated 3 birthing centers and health clinics to People’s Hope Japan’s projects. At the start of the project, there was no place to consult with doctor in the area. Now, more than 70 patients visit the clinic per month, and more than 50% of pregnant women have a safe birth at the clinic where a mid-wife is permanently stationed.