The Impact Of Stunting, Jokowi: The Most Hazardous Is The Low Capability Of Children To Learn

President Jokowi wefie and his children visited the Bunaken National Park area, North Sulawesi, Friday, July 5, 2019. (Between-Desca LN)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that stunting is not only a matter of height, but also cognitive and immune abilities in children.

"The impact of stunting is not only a matter of height, but the most dangerous thing is the low ability of children to learn, be mentally backward, and the emergence of chronic diseases that easily enter the child's body," said Jokowi when opening the National Working Meeting of the Proud Kencana Program (Family Development, Population, and Family Planning) and Stunting Reduction in Jakarta, Wednesday, January 25.

Jokowi instructed the target of reducing the stunting rate to 14 percent in 2024 to be achieved. By working together, he said, achieving this target was not difficult.

"As long as everyone works together. Because we in ASEAN (the stunting rate) are still in the middle; 21.6 percent is in the middle, but later when we enter 14 percent then we are under Singapore a little," he said. confiscated by Antara.

Based on a report from the Ministry of Health, the highest percentage of stunting occurred in five provinces, namely East Nusa Tenggara, West Sulawesi, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara, and Southeast Sulawesi. However, if calculated in number, the largest percentage is in West Java, East Java, Central Java, North Sumatra, and Banten.

Jokowi said, if the amount can be owned based on name and address, then solving the problem can be easy because the target is clear.

"Because what I saw in Sumedang, the platform application can monitor each individual, what needs it, can be checked all of them through the platform they have. So, we should have it as soon as possible nationally, so that the shot is clear, the target becomes clear," he said.

He reminded that the number of toddlers in the country is not small, reaching 21.8 million. However, the number of integrated service posts (posyandu) and public health centers (puskesmas) in Indonesia has not been evenly distributed, with a total of 300,000 posyandu and 10,200 health centers.

If health infrastructure can be moved properly, he said, then the stunting problem will be easily resolved.

"The problem is that puskesmas is not spread evenly throughout the country. There is one sub-district (owned) seven (puskesmas), one sub-district (owned) two (puskesmas). This regulation needs to be seen," he said.