Visiting Regions, Jokowi Wants To Make Sure Stunting Rates Drop Directly

President Joko Widodo reviewed the stunting reduction efforts carried out at Posyandu Sarimulyo, Seluma Regency, Bengkulu Province, Friday (21/7/2023). (ANTARA/HO-Biro Press of the Presidential Secretariat/Kris)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said the government wants to ensure that the level of chronic malnutrition in children or stunting continues to decline in each region.

"Today I came to Seluma Regency, Bengkulu Province to ensure that our children, our toddlers are healthy, we want to ensure that in the context of national children's day that stunting always drops every year, it cannot be immediately lost, but decreases," said President Jokowi after reviewing stunting reduction efforts at Posyandu Sarimulyo, Seluma, Bengkulu, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, July 21.

Jokowi appreciated the efforts made in Seluma Regency, which has succeeded in reducing the stunting rate by four percent from the previous one.

At the Posyandu, the President, who was accompanied by First Lady Iriana Jokowi, reviewed a series of physical examinations of infants and toddlers who were present there.

The Head of State assessed that the routine physical examination activities were a good thing to ensure that children continued to grow healthy.

"This is to ensure that all of our children are healthy and have a good future as a superior human resources later," he said.

The government has a national stunting rate target in 2024 that can be below 14 percent. Jokowi said that in order to achieve this target, the government would provide sufficient budget support.

"From the center every year because we have a target next year 2024 we have to be at 14 percent, below 14 percent, so our budget always increases, because we really want that," he said.

Jokowi emphasized that the government will always monitor and check stunting reductions regularly in order to control stunting levels in each region.

"We check every two weeks, every month we check and see who is high, who goes down will be seen, we always control it in such ways," he said.