Thousands Of Banyuwangi ASNs Buy Nutritious Food To Help Stunting Toddlers

Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandani also bought nutritious food with ASN at Ketapang Market, Banyuwangi. Friday (3/3/2023) ANTARA/HO-PR Banyuwangi Regency Government

BANYUWANGI - Thousands of state civil servants (ASN) in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java have again bought up various high-nutrition food products to help improve the nutrition of stunting toddlers in the region.

"The theme this time is still focused on dealing with stunting. We are mobilizing various elements, especially civil servants to spend on nutritious food needs to be donated to stunting toddlers, as well as high-risk pregnant women," said Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandani after shopping at Ketapang Market, Kalipuro District, Banyuwangi as reported by ANTARA, Friday, March 3.

This food product wholesale action is a program of the Shopping Movement to Market and MSME which has been routinely held every month since 2021 by ASN and various other communities and the results of this activity are distributed to underprivileged residents, including toddlers who are stunted.

The Regent of Ipuk herself was seen walking around the Ketapang Market shopping for various highly nutritious ingredients, such as beef, various fish, eggs, vegetable protein, and vegetables.

"We will distribute this later according to the target. We have pocketed data on toddlers (stunting by name by address) including the type of determinant factor, in each sub-district," said Ipuk.

The Regent explained that the handling of stunting in Banyuwangi was carried out in mutual cooperation involving various parties.

"Stunting is not only the task of the public health center and the Health Service, but all Regional Apparatus Organizations (OPD) and various other elements are also involved because stunting is not only caused by health problems, but can be caused by many other factors," she said.

Ipuk said that in the 2023 fiscal year, the Banyuwangi Regency Government has allocated IDR 7 billion for nutritional interventions for high-risk pregnant women and stunting toddlers from underprivileged families.

"This intervention is carried out based on family data identified as stunting which is complete by name, by address, along with the determinants of the cause, to the types of interventions that can be carried out," said Ipuk.

She said interventions and monitoring carried out by the district government were updated in real-time through the Banyuwangi Respond Stunting application by dasa wisma and neighborhood health centers (posyandu) cadres who are members of the Family Assistance Team (TPK).

In addition, Banyuwangi also optimizes pre-marital education and counseling for prospective married couples.

"I ask the public health center, dasa wisma, and neighborhood health centers cadres to continue to monitor their progress. Accompany and monitor their condition. Make sure that the nutritious food interventions we provide are actually consumed, so that their conditions will improve soon," said Regent Ipuk.