Utilization Of Midwives As Health Workers of Public Health Center In Implementing The Policy Of Nutrition Improvement Efforts For Balita at Central Buton Regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province

Abstract

To utilize midwives as health workers was essential in rural communities since
one of midwife’s duties was to carry out the care of balita (children under five). The
midwives had direct contact with the balita’s mothers, from pre‐natal phase to postnatal.
They could be utilized to overcome malnutrition problems through the
government’s policy in accordance with the Article 26 paragraph (2) of the Act Nr. 36 of
2009 on Health Affairs. This study applied socio‐legal studies approach using primary and
secondary data. The data gathering was conducted by having interviews with some
sources and respondents beside having library and related documents studies. This study
was analytical‐descriptively written. The results showed that the Government of Central
Buton Regency had not had a special regulation in relation with utilizing midwives to
implement the policy of nutrition improvement efforts. Nevertheless, the government of
Central Buton Regency remained using the basic legal products that had been previously
issued, namely Local Regulation of Central Buton Regency Nr. 12 of 2016 on Formation and
Composition of Regional Devices of Central Buton Regency and Central Buton Regent’s
Regulation Nr. 38 of 2016 regarding Position, Organizational Structure, Duties and
Functions and Administration of Health Office of Central Buton Regency. The health
workers at the Wamolo, Rahia and Lakudo Public Health Centers (Puskesmas)
experienced several obstacles in implementing nutrition improvement efforts for balitas,
namely, among others, lack of budget provided by the local government (APBD),
particularly the budget for nutrition, lack of midwives as the human resources and
nutrition, inadequate health facilities and the existing roads that remained rocky and
hard to travel.