Mercy opens mum-baby project in Medan

NST: MEDAN: The Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy) launched the "Mothers, Babies and Children Healthcare" project, in line with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The project, set up on Saturday in Serdang Berdagai district, aims to improve maternal health and reduce the child mortality rate in the country by 2015.
A joint effort with the North Sumatra Health Services Department, Mercy president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Perdaus said he hoped to highlight mother and baby health care in Indonesia as the country was the third highest in maternal and infant mortality rates among Asean member countries.
"The mother and child health rate is important in determining the health status of a country," he said, adding that Mercy would set up an office in Indonesia to assist in relief operations.
He said healthcare among pregnant women and midwives should also be given more focus.
"They are already at risk in contracting diseases such as malaria," he said, adding that the prevention of HIV/AIDS from mother to child still had not been dealt with.
Objectives of the programme include increasing human lifespan to 72 years; reducing the infant mortality rate to 24 out of a thousand; reducing the prevalence of child malnutrition to 15 per cent; improving midwifery skills capacity to minimise the number of maternal and infant deaths (ability for normal delivery); and protecting the environment from contamination due to poor sanitation.
"Mercy and its local partners will be monitoring the programme with frequent field visits at targeted areas to ensure its effectiveness."
To reach the MDGs target, Mercy donated RM240,000 to four districts involved in the programme, namely Medan, Langkat, Asahan and Serdang Bedagai, which would benefit 109,442 expectant mothers and 99,493 babies.
The launch, at Pantai Cermin, included activities such as mother and child medical checkups, infant and mother weighing, vaccination, and nutritional checks.
"I want to thank the organisers for contributing funds to help us and our children," Sariyanti Saiful Alam Syah, a 34-year-old who was at the launch with her third child.
Siti Khadijah Sahril, 20, who was with her year-old son, Rizke Wira Tama, said she was grateful for the medical checkups.
Earlier in the week, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Mercy and Indonesia to establish a sustainable development programme for healthcare provision.
The MoU signing event also hoped to strengthen the long-term relationship between the countries.