Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Increasing numbers dying in childbirth in Indonesia’s Papua - study

Posted at 02:17 on 27 July, 2007 UTC

The number of women dying in childbirth in the Indonesian city of Merauke, in Papua province is reported to have risen in the past two years.

In 2005, the rate was 464 per 100,000 births which rose to 499 in 2006.

An official of the Merauke health service says the reason for the increase was that many health workers who work in the villages had been transferred to other districts following the creation of more district administrations.

Another reason was that many health workers had abandoned their posts.

The official said that people had either been transferred or they had left of their own will.

He said that there had been many attempts to recruit nurses and midwives but there was little interest in working in remote areas.