Head of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Penny Kusumastuti Lukito has advised donors to provide safe and nutritious food to evacuees and residents affected by the recent earthquake in Cianjur district, West Java.
“We hope that donors will be able to balance food for evacuees. Thus, do not just provide instant food assistance, but food that is safe and nutritious,” she said at a coordination meeting at the Cianjur District Head’s Office here on Wednesday.
Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto and Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy attended the meeting.
Lukito affirmed that her agency is ready to assist in the provision of medicines, multivitamins, and safe and quality food for evacuees.
“I saw child evacuees, pregnant women; there are a lot of those who are vulnerable. Maybe we will pay attention to the aspects of medicine, vitamins, and nutritious food,” she said.
She stressed that she does not want earthquake victims to be provided unsafe medicines, especially unsafe pediatric syrup medicines. Therefore, her agency is collaborating with pharmacists to assist health workers at field community health centers (puskesmas) with medicine supplies.
Earlier, Cianjur district head Herman Suherman said that as of Monday (November 28), the aid received from various parties has reached Rp17.7 billion.
The aid includes Rp10 billion provided by the West Java provincial government, Rp5 billion from the Cianjur district government’s unexpected expense fund, and Rp2.7 billion provided by other districts and cities, he informed.
Meanwhile, the cost of relocating the residents affected by the earthquake will be sourced from the state budget. Currently, the government is still collecting data on residents whose homes have been damaged so that they can receive house-rebuilding assistance without delay.
According to the BNPB, as of Tuesday (November 29), the 5.6-magnitude earthquake, which hit Cianjur district on November 21, had claimed 327 lives. In addition, 13 people remained missing, while 108,720 residents took refuge at 39,985 shelters.
Source: Antara News