Minister Of Health Reminds The Importance Of Protein Intake To Prevent Stunting Children

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, reminded parents to ensure their children get an adequate intake of animal protein and avoid infectious diseases to prevent stunting.

"The important thing is animal protein, making sure there is no infection in the baby so that the incoming calorie intake doesn't just go out for treatment", said the Minister of Health as quoted by Antara, Tuesday, April 5.

Stunting is a condition of failure to thrive due to malnutrition in the first thousand days of a child's life. Adequate intake of animal protein can help children prevent this condition. Several foods that are known to be sources of animal protein include eggs, milk, fish, chicken, and beef.

These food sources not only contain protein but other nutrients that the child's body also needs. One egg, for example, contains 75 calories, and 7 grams of high protein, iron, fat, and vitamins.

Meanwhile, to prevent children from contracting infectious diseases, Budi said the government added vaccinations, especially regarding diarrhea and pneumonia, which are the most common infections in children.

On the other hand, Budi views the importance of understanding parents, especially mothers, regarding providing nutrition to their children. In this case, the role of medical personnel is needed to help provide nutritional care for the elderly.

"To be able to carry out appropriate interventions for children, it is very important to be able to educate parents, nutritional care for parents. Small children do not understand what to do but their mothers must understand", said Budi.

Budi believes that all parents in Indonesia will do what they can to ensure their children can live healthily, grow and develop well.

According to Budi, if a child is already stunted, the government has prepared the management, including when to take the child to the public health center and hospital.

"Strategies to overcome stunting don't need too many programs. Animal protein, give eggs, milk. If you are sick, send it to the public health center. Make sure the doctor is there. If the child is stunted, send it to the hospital. The medicine is there and paid for by BPJS (Health Insurance)", said Budi.

According to Budi, the government has already issued a lot of rules and regulations, it's just a matter of looking at the execution on the ground. Even in execution, it is no longer in the form of a program from the Ministry of Health but must be a community movement.

"To become a movement, we need friends (health workers) who can transmit the concept to the rest of the community so that they do this themselves without us having to push or force them. We just facilitate it", he said.

Budi added that the stunting rate in Indonesia currently reaches 24.4 percent, which means that 1 in 4 children born is stunted. Stunting in children can have a negative impact, one of which causes a decrease in their IQ by 20 percent.