Please Watch Out! Minister Of Health Calls Children Aged 6 To 24 Months Vulnerable Stunting

Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that stunting was found in many children aged six to 24 months or after the exclusive breastfeeding period was completed by mothers.

"There are many other time points, but the highest determinant, with the highest risk factor, which causes the highest stunting is the period when the mother is pregnant and the baby is six to 24 months," said Minister of Health Budi Gunadi as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 2.

The Minister of Health highlighted that the age of six to 24 months in children is a very vulnerable period, where the nutritional intake of a child must be added by providing Additional Food Assistance (PMT).

When a mother has finished carrying out her role in providing exclusive breast milk during children aged zero to six months, she said, parents need to realize that PMT can help children's growth and development to be optimal, especially for PMTs that contain animal protein.

Animal protein, said the Minister of Health, can be found from eggs, fish, chicken, and meat. The lack of knowledge regarding nutritional intake has not been carried out properly by many parents at home.

According to Minister of Health Budi, nutritionists recommend that nutrition interventions start from upstream. Intervention during the First 1,000 Days of Life (HPK) can prevent children from stunting or correcting children's health conditions.

Budi added that only five percent of children were stunted, which was found to be cured. With a medical note, it must be carried out in a hospital and costs up to millions of rupiah.

"If we look at it based on nutritionists, two weeks of being given a good protein food intervention he can return to normal. Imagine it's relatively cheaper for intervention. It's impossible up to Rp. 500 thousand a package until it's finished. We give it for two weeks so maybe Rp. 30-40 thousand a day should be able to prevent (stunting)," said the Minister of Health.

In addition to being prone to children aged six to 24 months, he said, stunting is also at risk since the mother enters the gestation period.

Minister of Health Budi explained that usually mothers are malnourished and iron, so food intake cannot meet the needs of the fetus to develop optimally.

Thus, she hopes that pregnant women will start routinely checking their pregnancy for six months at the puskesmas and at least twice to be examined with ultrasound. If the length of the fetus grows slowly, it must be intervened immediately at the puskesmas. Another effort is that mothers must regularly drink additional blood tablets so they don't get anemia

"If the fetal growth is not long enough, it means that the malnutrition and intervention at the puskesmas. The mother's health when pregnant determines whether the baby is born stunted or not," said the Minister of Health.

The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) itself routinely monitors stunting through the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) which is held every year. The data helps the government to evaluate the policies that have been implemented.

"I think if it can be done in a disciplined manner, the measurement, then the intervention, by name by address, we will educate all cadres at our health center, mothers and children, so I believe we can overcome this stunting problem and the target of 14 percent can be achieved," said the Minister of Health.