Legal Status and Regulatory Synchronization of Traditional Birth Attendants in Indonesia: The Case of Banyumas Regency

Abstract

Traditional birth attendants continue to play a social role in community health services in Banyumas Regency, although childbirth assistance is legally within the authority of authorized health workers. This condition raises legal issues concerning their status, the scope of permissible services, and the synchronization of laws and regulations governing traditional birth-attendant practices. This study aims to analyze the legality of traditional birth attendants in providing health services in Banyumas Regency and to examine the vertical synchronization of the relevant legal framework. The study employs normative juridical research using statutory, conceptual, and analytical approaches, supported by primary and secondary legal materials analyzed qualitatively through legal interpretation and regulatory synchronization. The findings show that traditional birth attendants receive limited and conditional legal recognition as traditional health practitioners and may perform supporting functions in maternal and community health services, provided that they comply with registration, licensing, competence, safety, cooperation, and referral requirements. Such recognition does not confer independent authority to perform clinical childbirth procedures, which remain within the competence of authorized health workers. The applicable legal framework demonstrates formal vertical synchronization, but substantive and operational harmonization remains incomplete, particularly regarding registration mechanisms, the one-practice-location requirement under the STPT, and mobile or home-based services. The study concludes that regulatory adjustment is necessary to clarify the limits of authority, strengthen legal certainty, and accommodate traditional health practices without compromising maternal and infant safety.