East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa emphasized the importance of meeting the nutritional needs of expecting mothers, to prevent stunting in children.

“The provision of assistance to pregnant women is part of stunting prevention, which starts when the baby is in the womb, and the nutritional fulfillment during pregnancy is crucial,” she said when handing over cash aid worth Rp250 thousand from the National Alms Agency (Baznas) in Sidoarjo on Sunday.

According to the governor, the East Java provincial government also provides the pregnant women with nutritional assistance in the form of supplementary foods and iron and folic acid supplements.

She also distributed packages of baby equipment and essential food to 77 pregnant women in Sidoarjo.

“The pregnant women (she distributed assistance to) are mostly in the seventh month, which means it is already in the third trimester. We hope that their nutritional (needs) will be fulfilled well, so that the mother and the baby are healthy, and the birth-delivery process is all smooth,” she said.

Parawansa also highlighted the importance of fulfilling nutrition, providing complete basic immunizations, and monitoring growth and development in the first one thousand days of a child’s life, which is a crucial period.

In addition, the governor said that stunting prevention efforts require synergy and collaboration from all parties, including cross-sectoral members of the Stunting Reduction Acceleration Team.

“The participation of community organizations, universities, and professional organizations in handling stunting is very important,” she added.

She also asked the public to monitor the growth of children routinely through integrated health posts (posyandu).

Meanwhile, East Java is one of the 12 provinces being prioritized for stunting handling due to the high prevalence of stunting there, the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) stated earlier.

Source: Antara News