New midwife clinic improves maternal and child health in Aceh

Saila Rizka and her mother Nazariah

Five babies have been born in the Blang Buloh Polindes, or midwife clinic, since it was handed over to the community in April 2008. One of those infants is three month-old Saila Rizka. Her mother, Nazariah, 29, describes the delivery as difficult, but fortunately she was not alone.  Eva Nauli, 27, the Blang Buloh Polindes midwife, coached and supported her throughout the six-hour delivery. 

“Giving birth here was much better,” says Nazariah, who had delivered her first daughter at home, when there was no medical facility nearby.

The new Polindes, which was funded by ExxonMobil, features: two examination and treatment rooms, both fully furnished with new equipment; indoor and outdoor bathrooms; and, an adjoining housing area for the midwife and her family. Eva keeps the facility in pristine condition, as she does her home. She used to drive half an hour to work, but now she and her husband live at the Polindes. This helps her save time and transportation costs and also allows her to provide emergency medical care 24 hours a day.

The Polindes serves the village of Blang Buloh, which has a population of approximately 940 people, including 340 children. According to Eva, people also come from neighboring villages to seek treatment at the Polindes. On average, she sees about 5 to 10 patients each day.

In addition to the new facility and equipment, Eva has also acquired new skills through Save the Children’s health provider training program. She participated in Normal Delivery Care, Interpersonal Communication Skills, Prevention of Infection and Expanded Program on Immunization training. 

“The trainings have been useful, and I’ve applied everything I learned in the Polindes,” Eva says. For example, she’s improved the level of hygiene and cleanliness at the clinic. “Before, when I worked at a private hospital, I never wore protective gear like masks, and when I did wear gloves, they weren’t sterile,” she says.

Nazariah and her family have also benefited from Save the Children’s health program.  Save the Children revitalized Blang Buloh’s monthly Posyandu sessions, in which local community volunteers partner with midwives to provide basic maternal and child health services, such as children’s growth monitoring, immunizations, food supplementation and health counseling.  During the Posyandu sessions, Nazariah learned about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for children under six months old.

“My younger child is healthier because I’m breastfeeding her – I gave my older child food like bananas when she was very young,” Nazariah admits.

With the combination of regular nutrition and health counseling at the Posyandu and medical services at the new ExxonMobil-funded Polindes, Nazariah and the community of Blang Buloh can look forward to a brighter, healthier future for all their children.