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View all search resultsHow many more mothers must Indonesia lose?
In a country with Indonesia’s level of development, a maternal death reflects deep cracks in the health system.
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Weight of responsibility: Community health workers weigh a toddler during a regular mother-and-child checkup on Oct. 12, 2023, at a posyandu (integrated health post) in South Celep district, Sidoarjo, East Java. (Antara/Umarul Faruq)
I
have been away from Indonesia for almost two years now. Distance has a way of sharpening longing, missing the food, the warmth, the everyday rhythm of home. Yet, it also amplifies the shock when news arrives that something profoundly heartbreaking has happened in a place you love.
That was exactly how I felt reading about a mother in Jayapura, the capital of Papua, who, along with her unborn baby, died after being turned away by several hospitals. Even thousands of miles away, the grief travels. And so does the frustration: How can this still be happening in Indonesia?
In 2025, in a country with Indonesia’s level of development, a maternal death is not merely another unfortunate tragedy. It is a preventable failure, one that reflects deep cracks in our health system, not in our women.
The numbers alone should give us pause, revealing a crisis that is twofold.
First, the mothers. Indonesia’s latest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), based on the 2023 Intercensal Population Survey (SUPAS), is estimated at 189 deaths per 100,000 live births. This equates to roughly 14 or 15 mothers dying every single day. This rate is six times higher than Malaysia’s and four times higher than Thailand’s, neighbors that have managed to keep mothers safe despite having fewer citizens dispersed across complex terrain.
Second, the children. The fate of a newborn is inextricably tied to the survival of the mother. When a mother dies during childbirth, the risk of death for her infant skyrockets. Indonesia’s neonatal mortality rate remains stubbornly high, hovering around 15 to 20 deaths per 1,000 live births according to recent national health surveys. This means that for every 1,000 babies born, nearly 20 do not survive their first month of life.
The tragedy in Jayapura was a stark embodiment of these statistics: a "double burden" of mortality where the system failed two lives simultaneously.
