Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Jakarta Acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono came across three cases of stunting in children during monthly health checkups at the integrated health post (Posyandu) in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.
“Of the 15 children, who have just undergone a health checkup, at Cempaka Putih Posyandu, we found three children, who might fall into the stunting category. We must act quickly to handle it,” Hartono noted at Cempaka Putih Posyandu, Jakarta, Wednesday.
One of the parents of the three children, Sutarti, admitted that her child, Aisyah, weighed 9.9 kilograms and was 84 centimeters in height at the age of 2.5 years.
“The nutritionist at the health center said that Aisyah’s development might be lagging behind, but her height and weight are still proportional. It is true that my kid has difficulty eating,” Sutarti explained.
She noted that Aisyah’s weight began to decrease when she entered the age of six months or the complementary food (MPASI) period.
Sutarti was also advised to include additional sources of fats, such as chicken oil and olive oil, in Aisyah’s main food.
Meanwhile, Minister Sadikin drew a parallel between stunting and stage 4 cancer that is difficult to cure.
“Stunting is like fourth-stage cancer. It is hard to return to normal conditions. We must catch up on stage one, stage two, and others. These children must be weighed every month, not six months,” he stated.
However, he lauded the Jakarta Provincial Government’s commitment and efforts to reduce the number of stunting cases to below 10 percent, surpassing the target of 14 percent by 2024 set by President Joko Widodo.
Meanwhile, Acting Governor Hartono appealed to parents to be disciplined in managing and checking their child’s height and weight on a monthly basis, both at posyandu and community health center (puskesmas).
He said that the Health Ministry and Jakarta Provincial Government could also intervene to provide additional nutrition, such as protein intake for children falling in the stunting category.
Source: Antara News