Maternal health: past, present and moving forward

Maternal health is commonly referred to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. These are the most important stages during the parenthood experience. It is not surprising that many programs related with maternal health have been widely implemented in many countries. Although important progress has been made in the last two decades, some concerns such high maternal mortality rates remain which include in Indonesia with special attention in the least developed regions.
This paper attempts to understand how the changes of maternal health in Indonesia over time and its potential trends in the next future. It focuses on three main concerns: (a) the trends of maternal mortality and its determinants; (b) the utilization of maternal health service and its quality, and (c) the health coverage on maternal health. The analysis considers regional variation and the link to the broader socioeconomic development patterns. A case study on three delay issues: (i) the decision to seek care, (ii) arrival at a health facility; and (iii) the provision of adequate care; will be presented based on our latest empirical studies in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT).