The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a challenge in reducing the stunting ratesJakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 pandemic that struck Indonesia in March 2020 has become a challenge for the government and all relevant parties to reduce the prevalence of stunting in children, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin stated.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a challenge in reducing the stunting rates. Achievements from the last seven years must be maintained to achieve the 14-percent target by the end of 2024," Amin noted at the virtual National Coordination Meeting on stunting prevention here on Monday.
The vice president also appealed to all regional heads to assess all work programs, activities, and local government budgets in order to expedite the decline in child stunting in regions by remapping the program.
The vice president deemed conducting remapping as imminent in order to identify programs that were still running, those that were uneven, and those halted during the pandemic.
Furthermore, Amin remarked that under the government's commitment to boosting the reduction in stunting in regions, the relevant law had been issued through Presidential Regulation No. 72 of 2021 on accelerating stunting reduction.
"The presidential regulation strengthens the framework of interventions that must be conducted and stipulates about the institutions tasked with accelerating the decline in child stunting rates," he expounded.
In terms of the intervention framework, Amin elaborated that handling child stunting through specific and sensitive nutritional interventions were prioritized in the first one thousand days of a child's growth.
Moreover, he noted that sensitive nutritional interventions contributed over 70 percent to reducing stunting among children.
"Specific nutritional interventions are actions related to improving nutrition and health, while sensitive nutritional interventions are supportive interventions, such as the provision of clean water and sanitation," he stated.
Hence, the vice president expects stunting rates that declined, from 37.2 percent in 2013 to 27.7 percent in 2019 should be preserved to achieve the target of 14 percent in 2024.
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Translator: Fransiska N, Kenzu T
Editor: Sri Haryati
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