The 75th anniversary commemoration of the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI) serves as an important momentum to reinforce the strategic role of midwives as the front line in safeguarding maternal and child health quality. Mayor of Pontianak, Edi Rusdi Kamtono, emphasized that midwives are a crucial foundation for the government in preparing superior human resources towards Indonesia's Golden Generation 2045.
During the event held at the West Kalimantan Province Bank Indonesia Representative Office Building, Edi highlighted the high birth rate in Pontianak City, which is projected to reach 11,667 in 2025. According to him, these figures demand the readiness of healthcare facilities and personnel so that every pregnant mother and infant receives comprehensive care, from pregnancy through the First 1,000 Days of Life (HPK) period.
The Pontianak City Government is currently focusing on mitigating maternal and infant mortality rates by strengthening cross-sector collaboration. Edi encouraged all midwives under the IBI umbrella to continuously improve their professional competence. Synergy between the government and professional organizations is considered key to the effectiveness of health programs, including delivering targeted free health check-up assistance for vulnerable groups.
Responding to this, the Head of the Pontianak City Branch Executive Board of IBI, Sri Mulyanti, stated her team's readiness to continuously adapt to the latest healthcare standards. She stressed that midwifery is not merely a medical profession, but a humanitarian calling that accompanies society through every stage of life.
As a concrete implementation, the Pontianak Branch of IBI has taken various strategic steps. Some of these include capacity building for midwives through scientific forums, a proactive initiative for birth certificate processing in cooperation with the Department of Population and Civil Registration (Disdukcapil), as well as service standardization at 34 Independent Midwife Practice Sites (TPMB) across Pontianak.
