Midwife Dewantara Urges Community to Adopt Healthy CERDIK Lifestyle

Midwife Dewantara is urging residents in Indonesia to adopt the CERDIK healthy lifestyle framework to prevent and control diabetes complications, according to a report from RRI.co.id published on April 26, 2026.

The CERDIK approach, promoted by the Indonesian government, includes regular health checks, avoiding cigarette smoke, engaging in diligent physical activity, maintaining a healthy and balanced diet, getting adequate rest, and managing stress. These behaviors are recommended to reduce the risk of severe complications from diabetes mellitus such as heart attack, stroke, infection, ulcers, kidney failure, sexual dysfunction, and eye disorders.

This public health message comes amid ongoing concerns about maternal and child health in Indonesia, where community health workers and midwives continue to provide essential services including home visits and counselling on nutrition, immunization, and prenatal and postnatal care. Despite these efforts, the country faced an estimated 6,300 maternal deaths in 2023, highlighting persistent challenges in rural and remote areas.

Expanding access to skilled midwifery care is recognized as a key strategy to improve maternal and newborn health globally. The World Health Organization has emphasized that universal access to midwifery models of care — consistent with international standards — could save approximately 3.7 million mothers, unborn children, and babies annually by preventing up to 83 percent of maternal, stillborn, and newborn deaths.

Midwives worldwide provide a continuum of care covering sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal support. Their personalized and culturally conscious approaches help reduce access barriers for women in underserved regions where hospitals may be distant or unavailable.

By promoting the CERDIK framework, midwives like Dewantara aim to strengthen preventive health practices at the community level, particularly for individuals managing diabetes, thereby reducing the burden of complications and supporting long-term wellness.