Press Stunting, Bengkulu City Government Performs Pregnancy Screening

Illustration. Mass marriage at the Great Mosque of Sabilal Muhtadin Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. (Between-Ibay)

JAKARTA - The Bengkulu City Government (Pemkot) held a simultaneous intervention movement by conducting a number of health checks for free in order to reduce the stunting rate in the area. Head of the Bengkulu City Communication and Information Office (Kominfo) Gita Gama Raniputera said the activity was carried out in all posyandu in the region during June 2024. "Regarding the simultaneous intervention movement to prevent stunting, it was carried out massive during June 2024," he said in Bengkulu Sunday, June 9, confiscated by Antara. He explained that the activity was focused on three categories, namely prospective brides, pregnant women, and babies under the age of five (balita). The examination carried out at the activity consisted of pregnancy-worthy screening, measurements of upper arm circumference (lila), intervention according to management, weight balance, and measurements of height or body length for toddlers. In addition, the Bengkulu City Government continues to strive to reduce stunting rates in the region to zero cases by continuing to carry out programs systematically and structured.

In order to reduce stunting rates in Bengkulu City, apart from the government that continues to strive, he also asked the public to participate in preventing increased stunting cases in the region. This is like preventing early marriage in the family or home environment and undergoing all programs that have been run by the government. "Stunting is a scourge for the continuity of the next and prevention efforts continue to be tightened," said Gita. In 2022, the Office of Women's Empowerment for Child Protection, Population Control and Family Planning (DP3AP2KB) Bengkulu City recorded that stunting cases in the region decreased by 6.2 percent in 2023. Bengkulu City stunting prevalence fell drastically, in 2022 it was 12.9 percent to 6.7 percent in 2023, resulting in a decrease of 6.2 percent.