Dr Marie Thomas and Dr Honoria Acosta-Sison: Pioneers of Women’s Health in Indonesia and the Philippines – Presented at the HOMSEA Conference 2025, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
By Sudirman Nasir – Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia
PELAKITA.ID – Despite various advancements, Indonesia and the Philippines continue to face significant challenges in ensuring the health and well-being of women. Maternal mortality rates in both countries remain relatively high.
In addition, many women continue to suffer from persistent communicable diseases, while also bearing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
At both structural and cultural levels, gender-based discrimination continues to obstruct progress in improving women’s health. Nevertheless, several achievements deserve recognition.
There is growing awareness of the importance of women’s health, accompanied by improved availability and quality of maternal health services, including family planning. These improvements have contributed to a notable decline in maternal deaths across Indonesia and the Philippines.
The journey toward establishing effective women’s health care systems, programs, and policies in both countries has been long and complex. Within this process, it is essential to remember and honor the roles of two pioneering figures: Dr Marie Thomas and Dr Honoria Acosta-Sison.
These trailblazers played crucial roles in initiating, nurturing, and advancing awareness, services, and policy development in support of women’s health in their respective countries.
Dr Marie Thomas and Dr Honoria Acosta-Sison were the first female physicians and obstetricians in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Dr Thomas led several early initiatives for women’s health, such as establishing clinics that provided care for pregnant women during her service in West Sumatra in the early 20th century.
She also founded the first midwifery school in Indonesia and introduced health education programs to help communities identify danger signs during pregnancy and childbirth. Her work emphasized the critical importance of skilled birth attendants in reducing maternal fatalities.
After completing her medical education, Dr Acosta-Sison began practicing obstetrics at St. Paul’s Hospital and later joined the faculty of the College of Medicine and Surgery at the Philippine General Hospital.
Throughout her distinguished career, she conducted extensive research linked closely to her clinical work.
She pioneered techniques such as the low caesarean section in the Philippines and consistently advocated for the provision of adequate health care for Filipino women.
The pioneering contributions of Dr Thomas and Dr Acosta-Sison to the development of women’s health programs in Indonesia and the Philippines stand as powerful testaments to their resilience, dedication, and lasting impact on public health in Southeast Asia.
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