Ministry Of Health Will Re-educate 1.2 Million Posyandu Cadres

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that his party would re-educate 4 posyandu cadres from each hamlet or a total of 1.2 million posyandu cadres this year.

Budi said that the posyandu cadres would obtain special abilities and skills such as considering babies and toddlers properly, conducting exclusive breastfeeding and MPASI education, providing vaccinations, and implementing communication between individuals or counseling.

"1.2 million cadres will be educated again and will enter the system which begins by taking the test first, then after it is finished they will get a certificate," Budi said in a written statement, Sunday, February 25.

Budi explained, out of a total of 512 regencies/cities, there are around 10,000 sub-districts/kelurahan, 85,000 villages, and 300,000 hamlets.

On that basis, according to him, efforts to bring access to health services closer will be intensified to reach the hamlet level.

One of the strategies that will be implemented is to improve the competence of posyandu cadres, so that they can play a key role in providing health services at the local community level.

"All posyandu cadres will be given competence as well as doctors so that posyandu not only takes care of or provides health services to mothers and children, but for all life cycle targets," explained Budi.

In this case, Budi hopes that psoyandu can take promotive and preventive actions ranging from pregnant women, infants, toddlers, children, adolescents, adults, to the elderly. Health screenings such as checking blood pressure and blood sugar levels for early detection of the disease can also be done in posyandu.

On the one hand, Budi reminded the importance of understanding of health promotion programs in Indonesia. Starting from health workers to all levels of society.

The task of health people is not only to treat sick people but to keep people healthy. So, the perspective must be to build people to stay healthy by making promotive and preventive health efforts," he added.