Midwifery in Borneo, Bali and Lombok
About the tour
Step off the tourist trail and experience lesser-travelled Borneo, Bali and Lombok on this bespoke midwifery study tour. Explore the beauty of the region, where temples and shrines nestle amongst emerald-green rice terraces, orangutans loop through trees along the river and spirituality infuses everyday life, with beliefs ranging across Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Balinese Hinduism and more.
The midwifery visits provide real insight into midwifery, childcare and health provision in this area. After independence, the Indonesians largely followed the Dutch model, where trained, qualified midwives provided the majority of health care and support to mothers. After a period when childbirth became more medicalised, the midwifery profession has since grown and developed. The village midwife (bidan desa) is the backbone of maternity care in Indonesia, linking traditional midwives (dukuns) with the centralised maternity hospitals. Sarawak in Borneo was an independent state where healthcare followed traditional Indigenous beliefs, later influenced by the British.
The study tour includes a wide range of visits including to the Midwifery Association of Bali, a teaching hospital, clinic, NGOs, a local hospital in Lombok that provides both public and private midwifery care, and a traditional birth attendant in Lombok. Through meetings, talks, a seminar and visits, this tour will provide a unique educational opportunity to learn about midwifery within different cultures in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Download our brochure Midwifery in Borneo, Bali and Lombok Book now
Your tour leader
Ruth King
Ruth King is the Nursing Director for Midwifery, Women’s and Children’s Services North West for the Tasmanian Health Services and the professional lead for the North West Maternity Services Transition Project. Prior to this, Ruth was engaged as a senior project officer for the Nursing and Midwifery Office in ACT Health Directorate, leading the development of a manager's toolkit to support staff following incidents of occupational violence and the development of the Work Level Standards for ACT nurses and midwives.
For over eight years, Ruth held the role of midwifery advisor and sometimes acting CEO for the Australian College of Midwives (ACM), the peak professional body for midwives in Australia, giving her the capacity to work across jurisdictions, government and health services. Ruth has worked in a variety of public and private clinical settings including midwifery continuity of care caseload at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, during which time she completed her Midwifery Honours looking at practices and perspectives of healthcare providers when women wish to eat during labour.
Ruth has travelled widely around Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe and has previously led successful Jon Baines Tours midwifery study tours to destinations including Sri Lanka and the Northern Territory.
Need more information?
- Tel: (Toll Free) 1-8777-398-764
- Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm
Itinerary at a glance
- Day 1: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (Sun, 15 Sept) Arrive in Kuching, a cosmopolitan city set on the Sarawak River that blends many cultures and races. Check into the Waterfront Hotel and at leisure before a local dinner.
- Day 2: Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (Mon, 16 Sept) Explore Kuching, known as the ‘City of Cats’. Visit the Sarawak Museum to learn about the peoples of Borneo and visit Fort Margherita and the Brooke Gallery. Visit the midwifery department in Kuching Hospital and learn about the history midwifery in Sarawak; the ulu midwives, the old adat and modern midwifery. Take a river cruise before a welcome dinner.
- Day 3: Kuching (Tues, 17 Sept) Drive to Bako and take a boat trip into beautiful Bako National Park. Encompassing seven distinct ecosystems, it is also one of the best places in Sarawak to experience wildlife, with opportunities to see multitudes of colourful birds, long-tailed macaques, water monitors, wild boar and the proboscis monkey. Lunch at the park. Return to Kuching and take a sunset cruise before dinner.
- Day 4: Kuching (Wed, 18 Sept) Visit the Semenggoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, a centre for reintroducing once captive orangutans to the wild, giving visitors the opportunity to see orangutans up close. Continue to the longhouse village of Annah Rais, home to the people that belong to the second largest ethnic group in Sarawak, the Bidayuh tribe. Learn about the culture of the Land Dayaks. In former times, they were headhunters and in their baruk (headhouse) skulls can still be seen. Meet with a local midwife and learn of their culture and current midwifery practice. Dinner at the Junk Restaurant.
- Day 5: Kuching / Sanur Bali (Thurs, 19 Sept) Fly from Kuching to Bali via Kuala Lumpur. Arrive in Bali and transfer to your beachfront hotel in Sanur.
- Day 6: Sanur (Fri, 20 Sept) Meet with the Midwives Association of Bali for an overview of midwifery in Bali. Take a tour of the campus and learn about their Gentle Birth Method. Visit Yayasana Rama Sesana to meet their team of skilled educators, comprising doctors, nurses, midwives and outreach workers dedicated to the task of improving the health of low-income women in Bali through education and peer-to-peer learning. Return to the hotel.
- Day 7: Sanur (Sat 21, Sept) Full day at leisure by the beach or take part in an optional tour that introduces traditional Balinese life. Dinner with local midwives.
- Day 8: Sanur / Ubud, Bali (Sun 22, Sept) Take part in a cycle ride.* See a sacred village temple, traditional Balinese compounds and an 11th century temple used for special ceremonies and deep meditation. (*Those not wishing to cycle will make an alternative visit and meet the group for lunch.) Enjoy a traditional homemade lunch in a local home before transferring to the Arma Resort to check in. Visit the temples of Ubud and Ubud Palace.
- Day 9: Ubud (Mon, 23 Sept) Visit the NGO Yayasan Bumi Sehat, which provides holistic health care at their Community Health and Education and Childbirth Centres. Learn about their work providing holistic medicine, pre- and post-natal care, breastfeeding support, infant, child and family health services, nutritional education, pre-natal yoga and ‘gentle, loving natural birth services.’ Walk through the Monkey Forest and visit the market.
- Day 10: Ubud / Lombok (Tues, 24 Sept) Drive to the port and take the morning ferry to Lombok. Arrive and transfer to the hotel. Briefing on Lombok followed by dinner.
- Day 11: Lombok (Wed, 25 Sept) Visit Kebon Roek Market and an NGO involved in midwifery practice and learn about the cultural differences between Lombok and Bali. Following lunch, visit Permata Hati Hospital.
- Day 12: Lombok (Thurs, 26 Sept) Full day to east Lombok for views of Mount Rinjani. Take a walk in the paddy fields and see cultivation of local spices and fruits. Visit local clinic in Kotaraja and meet a traditional birth attendant. Buffet lunch at the weavers’ cooperative and see rattan basketry. Enjoy a salsa night with dinner.
- Day 13: Lombok (Fri, 27 Sept) Full day trip to visit Gili Sudak – a small island off the coast, away from the tourist trail. It provides good amenities, including a restaurant, with options to relax on unspoiled beaches and go snorkelling. Enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening.
- Day 14: Lombok (Sat, 28 Sept) Depart after breakfast or take the 2-night beach extension in tranquil South Lombok.
Beach extension in South Lombok
- Day 14: Lombok (Sat, 28 Sept) Transfer to the beach resort in South Lombok. Check-in and at leisure.
- Day 15: Lombok (Sun, 29 Sept) At leisure.
- Day 16: Lombok (Mon, 30 Sept) Transfer to the airport after breakfast or extend further.
Tour cost
The cost of the tour is US$3,900 per person sharing. The cost with a room to yourself is US$4,286.