The Effort to Decrease Maternal and Child Mortality Rates through Cultural Transformation

Maternal and infant mortality in Ende is still high, but research related asocial science is rare. The cultural aspect and medical factors such as the lackof primary health care services are also play a role. This study aims are toidentifying and formulate the local cultural transformation as a way to solvematernal and infant mortality. This ethnographic research was conducted in2013. The study carried not only interviews, but also observation towardsreproductive-age women, heads of family, traditional birth attendants,doctors, midwives, local leaders, adat leaders, pastors and sisters, localgovernment officials, and head of health district at Ende. Data is analysedphenomenologically. The strong belief to adat and local tradition hasimplication to people’s attitude towards traditional birth attendants.Traditional birth attendants hold superior position in the community. Theyalso have strong influence due to their ability to massage, correctly guessinfant’s sex, reposition infant in the womb, and stop bleeding during labor.Maternal and/or infant mortality has nothing to do with traditional birthattendants because local people believe that such case happens as a result ofhex or black magic called ru’u. Anemia, bleeding, food taboo, and incorrectdiet pattern worsen the overall condition of pregnant women. Culturaltransformation is done by alternating TBAs practices in massaging pregnantwomen. TBAs are encouraged to massage pregnant women’s back instead ofstomach since pregnant women often have to deal with low back pain duringpregnancy