Not Wanting A Prospective Mother To Birth Stunting Children, Acting Governor Heru Shares Blood Adding Drugs With Students

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono at SMPN 51 Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta. (Diah-VOI)

JAKARTA - The DKI Provincial Government distributed blood-added drugs to school students in Jakarta. This activity was carried out directly by the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono at SMPN 51 Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.

Heru revealed that the blood-added tablet was given as a long-term health investment, so that when pregnant the prospective mothers can undergo a healthy pregnancy and not give birth to children who have the potential for stunting.

"I came here to see and encourage younger siblings, especially female students, to get additional tablets. This is a series of efforts by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to prevent stunting from an early age," said Heru, Friday, February 10.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Health Service, Widyastuti, explained that the distribution of tablets to maintain endurance is carried out once a week to all junior high and high school students in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

"This is not merely socialization. There is a program to provide blood-added tablets that are drunk once a week. One of the good steps from SMPN 51 is to drink simultaneously after breakfast," said Widyastuti.

Widyastuti continued, all schools in DKI Jakarta have received the distribution of blood-added pills once a week. She also advised young women to continue to pay attention to their health after they graduated from school.

"We are screening the bride and groom. Later, if we want to get married, we will conduct an examination both for potential sons and daughters. If anemia is indicated, of course we will correct it. Then, when the mother is pregnant, there will be a minimum examination 6 times during the gestation period, we will also check that," he explained.

On the other hand, Heru Budi has also instructed his staff to go down to a place to record the identities of residents suspected of stunting.

This follows up on the direction of the central government which targets a reduction in stunting rates in Indonesia and an agreement with the Ministry of Health regarding the synchronization of data on stunting intervention targets.

Previously, the DKI Provincial Government had matched the data on pregnant women and their babies by name by address with the Ministry of Health and the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN).

"Coordinated by the Assistant for Government, all mayors, to the lurah, the PPAPP Service, the Health Service, today went to the field to collect data that is said to be stunting," Heru said when met in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, Thursday, February 2.