Vice President Calls National Stunting Handling Intervention Coverage Needs To Be Expanded

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin accompanied by a number of ministers of the Advanced Indonesia Cabinet conveyed information to reporters after the 2023 Stunting National Coordination Meeting at the Vice President's Palace in Jakarta, Friday (6/10/2023). (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus)

JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said the coverage and quality of a number of stunting interventions still needed to be increased to accelerate the decline in case prevalence by 14 percent in 2024.

"Despite the downward trend in stunting in the last four years, I have received reports that there are still some interventions that must be increased in coverage and quality of implementation," said the Vice President when delivering his remarks on the agenda of the 2023 National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) for the Acceleration of Stunting Reduction at the Vice Presidential Palace. Jakarta, Friday 6 October, confiscated by Antara.

Although the stunting rate for toddlers in Indonesia fell from 30.8 percent (2018) to 21.6 percent (2022), said the Vice President, this achievement still needs optimal intervention to reach 14 percent in 2024.

The vice president said an increase in performance in specific interventions was still needed to increase the capacity of cadres and health workers for the use of nutritional status monitoring tools in posyandu and ultrasound devices at the puskesmas.

"So that monitoring of nutritional status can be done quickly and accurately," said the Vice President.

Another thing that must be encouraged, he continued, is the consumption of blood-added tablets in young women and pregnant women, at least six pregnancy examinations, exclusive breastfeeding and breast milk companion foods with appropriate nutritional content, and complete basic immunization.

In sensitive interventions, the Vice President pays attention to the issue of food security and improving parenting practices.

"Education should be given not only to parents, but also to extended families who carry out child care," said the Vice President.

Then another aspect that still needs to be improved, according to him, is the organization and increased driving capacity in the field which is in direct contact with the community.

"Through them, we must ensure that every intervention that is carried out has actually been accepted and the benefits of the target targets," he said.

Furthermore, the Vice President also asked efforts to accelerate stunting reduction to optimize various approaches, ranging from formal and political legal, to social-cultural and religious.

"Strengthen intense collaboration with religious-based figures and organizations that are rooted in society," he concluded.