Good nutrition is a critical foundation for a child to be able to grow and develop optimally.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has appealed to all parties to get actively involved in improving children’s nutrition to serve as a momentum to welcome the 62nd National Nutrition Day.

“Good nutrition is a critical foundation for a child to be able to grow and develop optimally,” Sadikin stressed during a “Mutual Action to Prevent Stunting” webinar here on Tuesday.

The current condition showed that mostly Indonesian children are not getting sufficient nutrition, thereby hindering their optimal growth and development, especially those living in vulnerable environments, he explained.

Based on Indonesia’s Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) in 2021, one in four children continue to suffer from stunting, and one in 10 children also experienced malnutrition.

Hence, the strategic measures are necessitated to tackle such problems.

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All parties should work hand-in-hand in implementing such strategic measures by conducting early detection that a family can start by monitoring regularly the growth and development of children at a local health post (Posyandu), he noted.

Meanwhile, the government and other stakeholders can help intensify the promotion of feeding infants and children, including early breastfeeding initiation (IMD) and two years of breastfeeding in addition to providing complementary feeding with animal protein as prioritized meal.

“It is very important to support children’s growth and development as an initial step that is easy to be implemented. It is recommended to feed children an egg daily to fulfill their protein needs,” he emphasized.

Through the 62nd National Nutrition Day commemoration, Sadikin expressed optimism that more parties would uphold their commitment and intensify their cooperation in a bid to enhance the quality of health and public nutrition to meet the stunting reduction target of 14 percent by 2024.

“I am sure, and this will have significant impacts on accelerated nutritional improvement in Indonesia to mirror our serious commitment to saving the nation’s generation and realizing a Golden Indonesia by 2024. Healthy children, Indonesia grows,” he remarked.

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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Juwita Trisn
Editor: Suharto
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