Detection, Prevent, And Handling Stunting Since Early Childhood, Palangka Raya City Government Involves 678 Family Cadres

Deputy Mayor of Palangka Raya, Umi Mastikah. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

PALANGKA RAYA - The City Government of Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan Province maximizes the role of 678 family cadres in order to detect, prevent and deal with stunting from an early age.

"Until last March we noted that we had 678 cadres and sub-cadres as well as family planning counselors, one of the main tasks was to minimize the potential for stunting in their respective working areas," said Deputy Mayor of Palangka Raya, Umi Mastikah, quoted by Antara, Sunday 9 October.

According to him, stunting is one of the real threats to the future of development. The impact if affected is not only on the future of the child itself, but will also have an impact on the family and on the quality of human resources.

For this reason, efforts to anticipate and handle stunting are one of the priority programs, both at the regional and national levels. These efforts were also carried out precisely, quickly and thoroughly and integrated.

He added that efforts to strengthen the role of the family and encourage families to meet the needs of vitamins and nutrition for pregnant women are one of the stunting prevention programs.

In addition, by increasing family awareness to ensure the need for vitamins and nutrition for both pregnant women and children is fulfilled during the first 1,000 days of life.

Early detection, anticipation and handling of stunting will be maximized if all elements of society are involved in stages, starting from the family environment, surrounding communities, RT/RW, lurah, sub-district head, city governments including the role of the private sector.

On the other hand, the "City of Beauty" Government is also maximizing the role of family companions in ensuring that the child's first 1,000 lives are met by all their needs.

Through the family assistance team, the government is intensifying preventive, promotive and action efforts, all of which are based on standard operating procedures.

In one family companion team, there is a midwife as a planning family program instructor (KB), a PKK drive team and cadres who can help provide guidance to create family security, said Umi Mastikah.