Health project targets women and children in Indonesia

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300m (£188m) loan to finance a health and nutrition project for pregnant women and children affected by the economic crisis in Indonesia.

Indonesia has been particularly affected by prolonged recession, which has caused high unemployment, inflation, food shortages, and rioting in urban areas. Bill Fraser, manager of the ADB's education, health, and population division, warned: “Families, particularly urban households, are much worse off than they were a year ago. The poor are less able to provide adequate nutrition and cannot afford medical care if they become ill.”

The project represents a continuation of a broader social protection development programme started last year in response to the financial crisis. One aspect highlighted by the programme was that health and nutrition were not receiving the attention they deserved, particularly in urban areas, where residents had fewer funds to purchase limited food supplies, said Mr Fraser. It became clear that inadequate resources were being made available to pregnant women and infants, and an increased occurrence of anaemia as well as iodine and vitamin A deficiency were reported. The crisis has also exacerbated inequities in Indonesian households where, traditionally, women and girls receive less food.

The programme, which is to receive a further $300m from Japan's Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, aims to ensure that health centres continue to function and maintain supplies of essential drugs, vaccines, and consumable supplies. It will also reinforce family planning programmes and provide basic nutrition for pregnant women and infants up to the age of two years. The project also hopes to strengthen programmes to control communicable diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrhoea. “There is a growing risk of severe malnutrition and a resurgence of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis because of weakened resistance,” reported Mr Fraser.