Due to Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country experiences natural disasters in relatively high frequency. These include tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions (Agustina et al., 2019, p.77; International Organization for Migration, 2018). In 2004, natural disasters including ‘294 floods, 54 landslides, 11 earthquakes, two tsunamis, and five volcanic eruptions’ were accountable of 10.2 per cent of total mortality and the leading cause of injury and disability. In 2018, two earthquakes led to more than 2,000 deaths over 1,000 missing people, more than 4,000 injured people, over 223,000 displaced people as well as the destruction or damage of approximately 50 health centres. The implications of natural disasters on health infrastructure is substantial. More than 4,500 health facilities were damaged between 1990 and 2015 (Agustina et al., 2019, p.80). In addition, Indonesia has experienced several acts of terrorism over the last two decades (Agustina et al., 2019, p.78). Finally, road injuries accounted as the main cause of death among the populated aged 10 to 25 years (Agustina et al., 2019, p.80).

References:

Agustina, R., Dartanto, T., Sitompul, R., Susiloretni, K. A., Suparmi, Achadi, E. L., Taher, A., Wirawan, F., Sungkar, S., Sudarmono, P., Shankar, A. H., Thabrany, H., Susiloretni, K. A., Soewondo, P., Ahmad, S. A., Kurniawan, M., Hidayat, B., Pardede, D., Mundiharno, … Khusun, H. (2019). Universal health coverage in Indonesia: concept, progress, and challenges. The Lancet, 393(10166), 75–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31647-7

International Organization for Migration. (2018). Indonesia 2018. Humanitarian Compendium. https://humanitariancompendium.iom.int/appeals/indonesia-2018