Difficulty Changing the Shaman's role in North Mamuju

Mamuju Utara - Agnes Norvin, 39, remembers how people rejected her presence as a midwife at Randomayang Village Community Health Center, North Mamuju District, West Sulawesi. When visited the homes of pregnant women in the region, sentences are often received nyinyir. Even had several times expelled.

Though Agnes came with a volunteer alias did not expect a service reply. All that Agnes did was for the duty of being a midwife. Understandably, pregnant women in the region are still reluctant to check in the Puskesmas. They entrust the health of pregnancy until their birth to sanro, the so-called quack babies in the area. "I must really be patient to persuade them to the Puskesmas," Agnes said.

Naturally when Agnes finally only able to help the birth of two of five women who are pregnant in Randomayang and five neighboring villages. While the rest choose sanro assistance. Even if there are women who regularly check their pregnancy at the health center, when giving birth will still "run away" to sanro.

According to Agnes, most women in North Mamuju feel sanro better than midwives in the birth process. Moreover, sanro used to read a safety spell and perform a number of rituals before the birth. "We believe the sandro protects the mother and baby from harm," said Ruth Oktaningtias, 16, Ruth is pregnant in Wulai Village, next door to Randomayang.

Difficult to persuade pregnant women did not make Agnes broke. It still sharpens the socialization of safe delivery to the villages. Moreover, he was assisted by his colleagues from the team of Pencerah Nusantara (PN), a team deployed by the Office of the Special Envoy of the President to strengthen primary health care in the regions.

Through this team, pregnant gymnastics classes at the Puskesmas are opened. Pregnant women are also educated about the dangers of childbirth by nonmedical workers, as well as how to maintain the health of mothers and babies during pregnancy. Unexpectedly, Agnes's efforts and the PN team brought significant results. Class pregnant gymnastics gradually favored pregnant women in the region. Even now the participants reached 173 people or 72 percent of the total pregnant women in six villages of North Mamuju.

The PN team also facilitated the Puskesmas to dialogue with the sanro. After a long discussion, the sanro agreed to give more access to the health center midwife to serve the birth of its citizens. Even willing to take pregnant women who want to give birth to the puskesmas. They add the spirit because it can incentif Rp 100 thousand per-sanro. "So let the health workers take care of medical issues, and sanro still maintain the tradition other than those dealing with the local culture," said Afifah, one of the PN team. (TS)