Minister Of Health: 35.8 Million Indonesians Suffer From Diabetes

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (tenga) at the Sate Bandung building, Friday (2/8/2024). (ANTARA/Ricky Prayoga)

BANDUNG - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin said there was about 13 percent of Indonesia's population or about 35.8 million people, experienced diabetes (diabetes) and this potential could get worse if it was not handled sustainably.

"It is analyzed, if you don't do it every day, it can be a chronic disease. The size is the easiest, look at the size of jeans, if it's over 34, maybe a lot of sugar," said Budi at the Sate Bandung building, reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 2.

The Minister of Health hopes that the community, especially children, must start reducing the consumption of high sugar foods and drinks, as a prevention of chronic disease.

"The children are now drinking all the sugar. That must be reduced. Back to without sugar," he said.

The large amount of sugar consumption in food and beverages, continued Budi, is intertwined with cases of children having to undergo dialysis due to kidney failure.

This has the potential to expand, with the current trend of sweet foods and drinks which makes children accustomed to consuming intake in high sugar levels, therefore he asks that sugar consumption be reduced according to safe limits, to reduce the risk of disease.

"Many children are now given to drink and eat with high sugar. So Indonesia likes sugar. Even though sugar is the cause of all kinds of diseases. Starting from the kidneys, liver, stroke, heart, that's the cause of sugar," said Budi.

According to him, ideally the consumption of sugar per day is a maximum of four teaspoons. And if more than that, it has the potential to damage the kidneys, so the effect must be a case of dialysis as is the case in children today.

"Fortunately West Java if you drink tea, bitter. This must be imitated. So if possible, don't use sugar," he said.

Di lokasi yang sama, Penjabat (Pj) Gubernur Jawa Barat Bey Sapi Machmudin mengatakan peran orang tua dan keluarga sangat penting untuk saling mengingatkan agar mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman sehat, serta mengurangi konsumsi sugar, salt dan fat berlebih.

"Use most of the blood to the child (there is an increase), now it is still the role of parents that is important for the child. Do not let events not be used as an example," he said.

Bey said that his party urged the Ministry of Health and related parties to immediately implement a special label on packaged foods and drinks, in order to prevent a spike in cases of dialysis children whose numbers were detected high.

According to Bey, with the signing of Government Regulation 28 of 2024 concerning Implementation Regulations of Law Number 17 of 2023 concerning Health by President Joko Widodo, the Ministry of Health can immediately follow up with steps to apply special labelings on foods and drinks related to sugar, salt, fat (GLG) content.

"We hope to immediately provide a sign to the package of food drinks related to the GLG, so that people are not worried and there is certainty about how good sugar is good, good salt. So just given a sign, for example green means safe, it's easier for the community and it will be safer and better for children," he said.