Elementary School Students In Sukoharjo Poisoning MBG, DPR: Don't Digenerize As A Failure

Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, responded to the MBG (Diah Ayu/VOI) poisoning student.

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal responded to the incident of dozens of students poisoned after eating free nutritious food (MBG) at an elementary school in Sukoharjo, Central Java.

According to Cucun, this incident is only one case that cannot be a benchmark that President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program failed.

This poisoning case, according to him, should be used as the basis for evaluating the free food run by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

"Yesterday, for example, the (poison) occurred, whether it was because it was stale or why it should not be generalized, this was a failure. In fact, this is a good lesson for BGN itself how to strengthen and tighten its control tools," Cucun told reporters, Sunday, January 19.

So, Cucun views, the MBG program needs to involve other government agencies so that its implementation can run more smoothly, such as the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), as well as more intensive local government assistance.

"It's better to involve BPOM as a state institution. Yes, if there is a little BPOM, for example there are a few human resources in the area, there are health offices, in the regions there are also nutritionists who understand how this tester can be proper food, or all kinds of things," explained Cucun.

A total of 40 children from SDN Dukuh 03 Sukoharjo nauseated and vomited after eating a nutritious menu, Thursday, January 16. The menu that was suspected of having problems at that time was fried chicken which is believed to be undercooked.

Shortly after the incident, the menus that were circulated were immediately withdrawn, and the children received a new menu in the form of eggs.

On Friday, January 17, Prabowo summoned the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana to the Palace in the aftermath of this incident.

Dadan explained that the incident in Sukoharjo was purely a technical error, and it was not intentional. He said that shortly after there were children who showed symptoms of nausea and vomiting, local SPPG officers immediately pulled the food they circulated. The number is 2,400 portions withdrawn.

"Immediately withdrawn, replaced with eggs. Then, the 40 children were immediately treated by the puskesmas officers and have recovered, and today they are already in school again, and provided with food services, and accompanied by puskesmas officers, eating at school and normal. So there is no problem, "explained Dadan Hindayana.