DKI Provincial Government Will Distribute Assistance For Stunting Children Rp300 Thousand Per Month

Illustration of stunting (ANTARA) children

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government will include children with stunting conditions in the capital city to be targeted by Jakarta Children's Card (KAJ) recipients. In this program, each KAJ recipient will receive assistance of IDR 300 thousand per month.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Social Service, Premi Lasari, said that his party distributed KAJ assistance to stunting toddlers based on integrated social welfare data (DTKS).

"All stunting toddlers in the DTKS are included in social security. So they will definitely get Jakarta Children's Card social assistance. Those who have not been included in the DTKS, we will check in the field and we will register them with the DTKS. So that later they can get Jakarta Children's Card social security," said Premi at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Tuesday, May 16.

This policy of providing assistance to stunting children is an effort by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to reduce stunting.

So far, the government has continued to synchronize stunting data by adjusting field conditions. The DKI Provincial Government is going to the field to record the identities of residents suspected of stunting.

After being included in the data collection, the stunting children will receive intervention in the form of assistance with the aim of improving their health.

"We have synchronized the data. And yesterday we opened a rebuttal forum and conducted a sub-district deliberation to verify data, especially social assistance recipients," explained Premi.

This stunting intervention effort is an instruction from President Joko Widodo. Jokowi wants the stunting rate in Indonesia to drop to 14 percent by 2024.

Following up on this, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin asked the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono to be able to reduce stunting cases to 10 percent next year. Currently, the stunting rate in Jakarta is still at 16 percent.

"DKI wants to be better than the target, Mr. President, which is 14 percent. Therefore, we want to pursue both below 10 percent," said Budi Gunadi after visiting Posyandu Balita Cempaka 3, Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, February 22.

Budi admitted that the handling of stunting or conditions that failed to grow due to malnutrition was not easy. Therefore, the Ministry of Health together with the DKI Provincial Government started this treatment by recording stunting cases in all regions, including by using applications to make it easier for officers to monitor cases.

"We want to measure by name by address the identification of which children have the potential to be stunted because stunted is like stage 4 cancer. So, we have to catch up. If possible stage 1 or stage 2. This is now being measured," explained Budi.