JAKARTA - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) hopes that the new leadership of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) will be a momentum for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program to focus more on families at risk of stunting, reaching children in the most remote, outermost, and lagging regions, and vulnerable groups.
"We congratulate the new Head of BGN, Mrs. Nanik Sudaryati Deyang. We hope that with the new leadership, MBG will become a gateway for changing the parenting and eating patterns of Indonesian families, not just a food distribution program. This program must return to its original ideals, namely improving the national nutritional status, reducing stunting, and reaching vulnerable groups and priority areas," said Deputy Chairman of KPAI Jasra Putra as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, June 3.
According to Jasra Putra, the change of leadership at BGN must be a turning point to improve the direction of the MBG program in a comprehensive manner.
He said that the evaluation of the MBG program cannot be equated with the evaluation of ordinary government programs which are carried out annually.
According to him, the feeding program has a direct impact on the beneficiaries, both in terms of benefits and risks.
"Feeding is a program whose impact occurs immediately. Likewise, when there is a governance error that leads to mass poisoning. Therefore, the MBG governance requires rapid and fundamental changes, it cannot wait for annual evaluations," said Jasra Putra.
The KPAI also asked the Ministry of Health to provide an open answer regarding the effectiveness of MBG in reducing stunting rates in Indonesia, including the program's achievements for children in the 3T (leading, outermost, lagging) regions and vulnerable groups who are the initial targets of the policy.
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