Some 36 to 38 percent of teenage girls in our country have anemia, and it could become one of the causes of stunting and also death among mothers and babies
Jakarta (ANTARA) - National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) Head Hasto Wardoyo accentuated his side's commitment to reducing the number of cases of anemia among pregnant women through the use of the Elsimil application.

“Some 36 to 38 percent of teenage girls in our country have anemia, and it could become one of the causes of stunting and also death among mothers and babies,” Wardoyo noted during an online event monitored here, Thursday.

To this end, Wardoyo appealed to teenage girls about to get married to undergo a health check three months before marriage.

Wardoyo noted that two million couples get married annually. However, 38 percent of the prospective mothers are anemic, and 48 percent of them suffer from anemia after they get pregnant.

In effect, some 400 babies are born stunted each year.

Through the Elsimil application, Wardoyo affirmed that his agency will be able to record the health parameters of pregnant women, such as height, weight, upper arm circumference, and hemoglobin (Hb) in the blood, assisted by midwives and the agency’s family support teams.

Some 600 thousand personnel segregated into 200 family support teams are deployed to assist prospective mothers and pregnant women in some 74 thousand villages in the country.

From the data collected through the application, the prospective brides will be rated on whether they meet the requirements to become pregnant. If not, the BKKBN will not prohibit them from getting married, though the women will be given a module to help them improve their nutritional intake.

The BKKBN head spoke of having conveyed the idea to several ministries, such as the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Health Ministry, to use the data in the Elsimil application to become one of the requisites to get married.

This step is taken, with specific focus on the health of prospective mothers and as an effort to help reduce stunting prevalence in the country.

Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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