Australia Awards in Indonesia

The Australia Awards are prestigious, transformational scholarships and short courses offered to emerging leaders for study, research and professional development in Australia

A group of female nurses pay attention to the neonatal resusication training, which is funded by the the Australian Government through the Alumni Grant Scheme.

19 Feb 2018

Allison Sudradjat Prize Recipient works with Village Midwives in Sikka Regency, NTT

Village Midwives in Sikka Regency NTT participate in refresher training January 2018

Edit Oktavia Manuama (Via) spent part of the summer break from her studies at The University of Melbourne to facilitate Maternal and Neonatal Emergency Management refresher training for Village Midwives in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).  As a recipient of the Allison Sudradjat Prize, awarded annually to four outstanding Australia Awards in Indonesia students, and as a Master of Public Health student, Via was keen use some of her prize funds to provide front-line training in her home province.

Maternal and neonatal mortality is a major health problem in NTT. In Sikka Regency alone, 13 maternal deaths and 61 neonatal deaths were recorded in 2016.  Most of these deaths are preventable if timely and adequate interventions occur.   The 160 midwives placed in maternity village posts and village health posts across Sikka Regency are mainly responsible for maternal and child health within the village but despite their crucial role in preventing maternal and newborn deaths, they suffer from a lack of training and capacity building.


Training facilitator Martina Pali at the Sikka Regency NTT Village Midwive training January 2018

From 24 - 26 January 2018, Via facilitated collaborative refresher training between the District Health Office of Sikka Regency and The Midwives Association of Sikka Regency for Village Midwives.  The training aimed to improve the capacity of the village midwives to recognise the danger signs of pregnancy, labour, and postpartum and emphasised the need to refer mothers and babies to a higher level health facility in emergency situations.  Opened by the Head of the Sikka District Health Office, the training was facilitated by the District Head Office staff who are also senior midwives and medical specialists from the Local Government Hospital (RSUD TC. Hillers).

Via will complete her Master of Public Health in mid-2018 and return to NTT to continue her valuable work in the area of Public Health. 

Share this article on:


Related News


Back to Top