Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Hasto Wardoyo has proposed that every village has at least one midwife to help accelerate stunting reduction.

The issue of stunting at the central level to the city and district has received enough attention, he opined. However, at the village level, changes in the behavior of health services related to stunting prevention, such as antenatal care (pregnancy check-ups) or newborn care, have yet to be felt, he said.

“We have proposed to the Health Minister that there should be a midwife in each village. According to the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI), there are still villages that do not yet have a midwife, in this case, a midwife provided by the government,” he elaborated.

Wardoyo said the BKKBN would implement the National Action Plan to accelerate stunting reduction through an approach centered on families at risk of stunting.

The approach includes providing data on families at risk of stunting, assisting families at risk of stunting, assisting prospective brides or prospective couples of childbearing age, surveillance of families at risk of stunting, and auditing of stunting cases. He said those steps would be taken because the BKKBN wanted to position itself as a family companion, either before pregnancy or pre-marriage, during pregnancy and the interval period, with support from family planning instructors, cadres, and the Family Welfare Movement (PKK).

Speaking on the subject of one midwife for every village, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said his ministry would immediately conduct discussions to prepare the regulation.

He said his ministry would also formulate instructions and technical instructions to implement the plan in districts and cities.

“There are various strengthening efforts, such as improving the quality of programs, strengthening health and nutrition education, strengthening intervention management at community health centers and integrated service posts (Posyandu), which are carried out comprehensively in a sustainable surveillance system,” he said.

In the health aspect, the acceleration of stunting reduction will be carried out through specific interventions aimed at target groups, namely teenagers, prospective brides, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, he added.

The intervention will focus on strengthening health and nutrition services and will be carried out in a structured and tiered manner at all service levels—from the posyandu (integrated health services posts) to hospitals, he remarked.

Source: Antara News