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he Health Ministry said that it would strengthen the partnership between the public and private sector to deliver better health services for women and children.

Deputy Health Minister Ali Ghufron Mukti said that the initiative would be of great significance, given that the high rate of maternal deaths during deliveries and the high burden of infectious diseases appeared to be common challenges faced by Asia-Pacific countries, including Indonesia.

“Saving women’s and children’s lives and improving welfare are the responsibility of all of us. This requires partnerships involving all stakeholders, including both the public and private sector,” said Ali Ghufron in his opening address for the 2012 Asia-Pacific Development Summit on Monday.

 The theme for the summit was “Forming strategic partnerships in achieving the Millennium Development Goals [MDG] in Health”.

Resolving disparities on access to health services among disadvantaged and remote communities remains a challenge for the Indonesian government given the vastness of the country, which has more than 17,000 islands and more than 240 million people, he said.

“The development of infrastructure such as roads is crucial to increasing the proportion of childbirths attended to by skilled health workers, and to improving the functioning of the health referral system,” he said.

Ali said the government could not bear the responsibility of solving the problem alone.

While succeeding in reducing maternal deaths during deliveries to 228 per 100,000 live births from a level of 390 in 1990, more hard work is needed as the country aims to achieve its MDG target of 102 per 100,000 live births in 2015.

“About 40 percent of childbirths in Indonesia still occur at home, resulting in higher risks of hemorrhage and other complications during deliveries that can lead to deaths,” Ali said, adding that the government had set various initiatives, including the government-funded childbirth insurance program Jaminan Persalinan (Jampersal), to promote more childbirths in healthcare facilities.

Under the Jampersal program, pregnant women who seek help for deliveries at community health centers will be fully covered by the government.

Reducing maternal mortality is one of three targets that also include the reduction of the number of people with HIV/AIDS, the increase in the number of households with sustainable access to drinking water and households with access to basic sanitation.

Government officials from countries in the Asia Pacific region, the private sector, non-profit groups and civil society all attended the summit, which was hosted by the Indonesian government in cooperation with the ASEAN Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other organizations supporting the meet included the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Pacific Health Summit and Save the Children.

“No less than 61 panelists are bringing important topics to the table, including an integrated strategy to resolve health issues in the ASEAN region and to amplify the impact of public-private partnerships to reduce both infectious and non-transmitted diseases,” said the special envoy to the president of Republic of Indonesia for the MDGs, Nila Juwita Moeloek.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan is aware of the challenge in building partnerships with civil society.

“Some governments still feel uncomfortable working with NGOs, especially from other countries,” he said.

“Governments are still feeling that ‘yes, we can deal with civil society but it must be our own civil society. Then you [civil society] must register with governments before they work with you’,” said Surin.

Currently, two initiatives, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Public Private Partnership (PPP), are being developed to set up a funding scheme for health sector development.

“The government has already developed PPP mechanisms and schemes for infrastructure, which we will implement in the health sector or health-related sectors,” said National Development Planning Board Minister Armida Alisjahbana.

The government has placed a PPP mechanism in the development of health insurance for the poor, called Jaminan Kesehatan Masyarakat (Jamkesmas).

 Under the program, private hospitals are involved in delivering the Jamkesmas program under which the government “buys” their health services. Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), private hospitals can also deliver health services for Jamkesmas patients.

The private sector can also manage certain health services in public hospitals by providing facilities and infrastructure.