They also protested a statement by Health Minister Nila F. Moeloek, who said that midwives had to pass the civil servant enrollment test and should not be older than 35 years to be recruited as civil servants.

The chairwoman of the Non-Permanent Midwives Forum, Lilik Dian Eka, said most forum members had worked for more than 10 years without being made civil servants despite improvement to their skills through years of experience.

Indonesia is in dire need of rural midwives, who not only help women give birth but also provide health care to local people in remote areas, Lilik said. "Midwives assist in 68.6 percent of births in Indonesia and also serve on the front line in reducing the country’s maternal mortality rate," Lilik said.

Lilik said the government had announced a plan to hire rural midwives as civil servants starting in January, but it was unclear if the plan would go ahead.

During a demonstration attended by more than 5,000 rural midwives from across the country in front of the Health Ministry on May 4, a day before the International Day of the Midwife, about 20 delegations met with Minister Nila to demand job security.

Nila reportedly said she supported the demand because medical workers were urgently needed to help in the national health program, particularly in reducing the maternal mortality rate. Indonesia has the second-highest maternal mortality rate in Asia, with about 200 mothers dying per 1,000 births. (bbn)

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