A midwife college is being built in East Nusa Tenggara province by Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth nuns and the local government, to counter a high mortality rate among mothers and infants.

Construction of the St. Elizabeth Midwifery College in Kefamenanu began in October. Seven classes, offices, a laboratory and a library have already been built, while the hall is still under construction.

“The reason we are building this college is because we are concerned about the death rate among mothers and babies in this area, which is high. That’s because many people living in remote villages still strongly have dualism of faith. They are still very superstitious … going to traditional healers instead of midwives,” Sister Gonzalia Parhusip, who will teach at the college, said yesterday.

“We want to increase the number of medical workers in remote villages” to take on the healers she added.

Natalia Agnesia Bani, a midwife, said the traditional healers tend to hold sway because there are so many of them.

“There are many of them. The number of proper medical workers is small in comparison,” she said.

Welcoming the college, she predicted it will really help local government improve people’s quality of life.

“The college will help reduce the death rate among mothers and babies in this area,” she added.

The college is due to be completed in September. After receives a  permit to operate from the Directorate General of Higher Education, a dormitory and a community house will also be built on the 4-hectare site that was provided by the local government.