JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Pratikno emphasized that the death of Raya (4), a child from Sukabumi, West Java, due to a worm infection, is a national wake-up call to improve the quality of basic health services for children throughout Indonesia.
"Ananda Raya's death is a national wake-up call that reminds us all to prevent a similar incident from happening again," Pratikno said, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 22.
Pratikno came under scrutiny after being interviewed by reporters the day before. Admitting to feeling a little sleepy, Pratikno stated that Raya's case could be discussed with the Minister of Health in detail.
This time, Pratikno spoke firmly. He did not deny the negligence caused by a lack of knowledge among health workers in the region regarding standard operating procedures for free health service programs, including population administration data collection, as experienced by the deceased Raya.
Pratikno emphasized that the most important priority is to continuously improve the capacity of health workers, starting from first-level facilities at integrated health posts (Posyandu) and related community health centers (Puskesmas) in handling patients who are not yet registered as participants in the health program, down to the technical aspects of medical procedures.
Based on the ministerial-level meeting, it was learned that the deceased had received medical treatment from health workers at the community health center, including deworming medication, and a referral letter was issued.
"The Ministry of Health's evaluation shows that deworming medication should be given to children every six months. Care must be taken to ensure it is actually given to the child, not to be given to them and then taken home. Likewise, with referral letters, the community health center must ensure the patient actually goes to the hospital," he said.
Therefore, Pratikno revealed that the government held a ministerial-level meeting this Friday morning to ensure a similar problem does not recur among other children.
The meeting involved the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Social Affairs, the Minister of Population and Family Development, the Head of the National Nutrition Agency, and other relevant ministries/institutions, including the West Java Provincial Government and Sukabumi Regency.
"Currently, a team from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture has been deployed to Sukabumi to identify the needs of the family and improve the residential environment in this Raya case," he said.
According to Pratikno, one of the government's focuses is improving sanitation, paving house floors, and providing family latrines to ensure that Raya's residential area in Padangenyang, Sukabumi, which was deemed unsuitable, becomes healthier.
This also applies to vulnerable residential areas throughout Indonesia to ensure children are no longer exposed to the risk of disease or health problems.
Furthermore, the government will ensure that all poor residents are registered in the BPJS Kesehatan Health Insurance Contribution Assistance Recipient (PBI-JK) program. If any are not yet registered, their contributions can be covered through village funds or local government budgets.
Pratikno stated that the Ministry of Villages has issued regulations on the use of village funds for basic health services, including BPJS premium payments, sanitation improvements, and support for stunting reduction programs.
"The government's program is actually comprehensive; it just remains to ensure that field workers are truly active," he said.
Previously, Raya (4), a child from Padangenyang Village, Sukabumi, West Java, died with a worm infestation.
She came from a poor family with a sickly father and a mentally ill mother. They lived in a stilt house with chicken droppings underneath, a suspected source of worm infection.
Raya was found by a team of social activists in critical condition and taken to the hospital. However, attempts to seek medical assistance from various government and social organizations proved futile.
During treatment, Raya had live worms weighing up to 1 kilogram removed from her body, and a CT scan revealed that the worms and their eggs had spread to her brain. She died on July 22, 2025.
This case sparked public concern, including from West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, who highlighted the family's filthy living conditions and the weak function of the integrated health service post (Posyandu), the Family Welfare Movement (PKK), and village midwives in early detection of health problems. The West Java Provincial Government evacuated Raya's family for medical treatment, as they also had tuberculosis.
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