Private midwives are a cornerstone of antenatal care in Indonesia, with over half of pregnant women relying on their services. Given their pivotal role, integrating private midwife clinics into the national Triple Elimination Program, which targets the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B, is critical to improving maternal and neonatal health outcomes. To advance this goal, the Indonesian Ministry of Health will launch a pilot project to introduce point-of-care testing for these infections at private midwife clinics, enabling early detection and timely referrals to puskesmas (community health centers) or referral hospitals for further care.

While this initiative aligns with global health strategies, including WHO’s elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) initiative, a major challenge remains: the private-to-public referral system. Despite private midwives’ frontline role, little attention has been given to assessing the feasibility of their involvement in the referral process after diagnosing these infections.