Dozens of Students in Penajam Allegedly Poisoned by MBG, the Regional Head Evaluates Waiting for Lab Results

Madani Gate, North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan. ANTARA/Nyaman Bagus Purwaniawan

PENAJAM - Health officers from the Puskesmas Waru, North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan, provided medical treatment for dozens of students in the local area who were suspected of poisoning the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program menu.

"The district government will immediately evaluate inviting relevant parties," said Deputy Regent Abdul Waris, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 11.

Although dozens of students have been handled well by medical personnel, he said, the incident needs to be evaluated thoroughly.

Dozens of students were taken to the Waru Health Center because they had symptoms of stomach pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath allegedly after consuming a number of MBG menus, including pudding which was one of the dishes.

He said the incident could not be considered trivial, especially because it directly touched children, so there must be concrete steps so that similar incidents do not happen again,

Until now, there has been no official statement regarding the exact source of the health complaints experienced by the 25 students who are beneficiaries of the MBG Program.

"We are still waiting for the results of laboratory tests to determine the cause of the symptoms experienced by the students," said Head of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) of Waru District, Yayasan Bakti Benuo Taka Mohammad Andi Rizky.

Health and environmental monitoring officers carried out identification of the incident and secured the remaining food samples to be handed over to the relevant parties for laboratory examination.

He said the entire process of procuring raw materials and products had gone through internal inspection stages before being distributed to schools, but then a more strict supervision was carried out while waiting for the official results of the inspection.