The human development program is intended to produce superior, quality, and competitive generation with integrity and good moral character, he noted through a statement, Saturday.
"To produce quality human resources, we can begin from the upstream by preparing future mothers, who will produce a golden generation in the future," he said.
"Women should be the center of human development. Thus, the preparation has to be done since adolescent years," he stressed.
The minister underscored the importance of meeting teenage girls' nutritional requirements in order to maintain their health and prevent anemia.
Being anemic during pregnancy increases the risk of giving birth to stunted infants characterized by low weight during birth, he cautioned.
Hence, in addition to consuming a balanced nutritionally-dense diet with animal protein, teenage girls should routinely consume blood booster tablets to prevent anemia, Effendy stressed.
"Blood booster tablets for teenage girls are very important for their womb's health in the future," he explained.
"This is an intervention that should be considered, so that teenage girls, who will become mothers, do not experience anemia, which can cause children that they conceived experience stunting," he stated.
The minister also sought active participation from families, specifically parents, to ensure sound health of their daughters and to make it a point to see that they receive balanced nutrition that high in animal protein.
According to the result of the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI), the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia in 2022 declined to 21.6 percent, from 24.4 percent in 2021.
"The government is aiming to have the stunting prevalence decrease to 14 percent by 2024," Effendy stated.
Related news: Indonesia Vision 2045 revision to align with current developments
Related news: VP asks Navy to help realize global maritime axis vision
Translator: Wuryanti P, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
