May 25th, 2025 — Children’s Medical Foundation (CMF)’s Chairman, CEO and Program Director had the honor to meet with Mr. Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Indonesia’s Minister of Health, on a Saturday evening in Jakarta, to learn about the shortage of neonatologists and dire situation for newborns in Indonesia. Exacerbated by infection control issues, the lack of a dependable mobile transport system, the Minister discovered that the death rate of mothers and newborns within the first month of birth was unusually high.
Dr. Ivan Sini from Daima Foundation and Bunda Group, the Director General and Indonesia’s leading neonatologists were also in attendance.
The meeting focused on exploring opportunities for collaboration in maternal and child health, as well as strengthening healthcare capacity in the region. Both sides expressed strong interest in deepening partnership and promoting shared goals in public health development at an expedited pace to reverse the mortality rate as soon as possible.