Indonesia is Struggling with Maternal Health MDG, Official Says

Indonesia will not be able to achieve the maternal health targets as set by the fifth Millennium Development Goal because of the lack of health workers in remote communities and a variety of other factors, The Jakarta Post reports. The newspaper quoted Nina Sardjunani of Indonesia’s National Development Planning Agency, who spoke in a public discussion on the progress of MDGs in the Indonesian capital.

Ensuring gender equality is another challenge faced by Indonesia in relation to the fifth MDG, according to The Jakarta Post. Indonesian women are not usually involved in maternal health decisions such as seeing midwives for delivery, Linda Amalia, the country’s minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection explained.