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NTT Governor Attributes Deaths to Lack of Hospitals
November 30, 2009

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During a meeting with Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih in Kupang, the governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) requested government help to build more hospitals in the province.

Frans Lebu Raya, speaking on Saturday, said the people of his far-flung province lacked access to health care, which in some cases resulted in preventable deaths.

“NTT has 566 islands and many of them are inhabited,” he said. “Island residents always have difficulty getting access to health services, especially during the rainy season when sea transportation is often disrupted or cannot operate.”

The governor said hospitals did not need to be built on all islands, only those with large populations or those that could be easily reached by people from outlying islands.

“Many pregnant mothers and young children have died because they had no access to health services,” Frans said. “They would have gone to a hospital but they could not due to a lack of sea transportation.”

He said the construction of more hospitals was the only way to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Frans also said the Desa Siaga village health program was still not being properly implemented, reducing its effectiveness in delivering health care.

The program, sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is intended to help villages provide maternal and neonatal care for residents.

Antara