National Health Day in Indonesia

Did you know that 134,000 kids under that age of 5 die each year in Indonesia? That means a child dies about every four minutes, many from preventable causes. For me, the picture above represents that statistic in a very personal way. She is Katarina. She was a patient at Bethesda during the summer of 2006. She had tuberculosis (TB) and other problems. We tried for several weeks to save her life. We inserted a feeding tube and gave her medication for the TB. In the end though, she passed away. There are almost always kids like Katarina being cared for at Bethesda. Being a child under five is hard in Indonesia, especially in the rural areas as the statistic above shows.

Today, November 18th, is National Health Day in Indonesia. This year the government is using the day to promote the health of women and children across the country. They are partnering with organizations like World Vision and other NGOs to try to reach the Millennium Development Goals and save the lives of moms and kids around the country.